best background check

Best Alabama Background Check

Discover how to acquire comprehensive criminal and civil Alabama records, as well as how to step your search up to the national level.

The state government offers a criminal records search for individual use. You may also obtain complete Alabama records, including criminal history, with a correctly utilized online background check service.

We will outline both methods below and it will become very clear which is right for you in a few minutes.

Follow these guidelines and you will have access to some of the most complete Alabama and nationwide records available.

 

Overview:

Alabama background checks are handled by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC), working in partnership with the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) and the Alabama Department of Public Safety (DPS). ACJIC collects the information on criminal cases and arrests from the other two agencies, and compiles it in a central repository. However, they maintain a fairly tight grip on how that information is disseminated.

For those with authorized access, ACJIC information will include:

• Arrest records - including date of arrest and charge at time of arrest
• Felony and misdemeanor arrests and convictions
• Court records detailing charge at time of filing, the disposition charge, and the court action
• Pending cases
• Criminal court records going back seven years

 

Employer Access:

Generally speaking, access to ACJIC information is more straightforward for employers than for individuals. Employers have the option to apply for access to ACJIC searches online, which returns results within minutes.

However, employers are only permitted to do a background check on people they hire directly and only with the subjects written permission.

 

Individual Access:

For individuals, the process is more involved. You have no option of doing a search online. Instead, you will be required to submit a “Request for Review of Criminal Records ” form by mail. The form will have to be downloaded, printed, and completed by hand.

Once you have filled out the necessary information on the form, you need to have a complete set of fingerprints added at a local law enforcement agency. There may be a fee associated with the fingerprinting depending on the particular agency.

The form must then be mailed to ACJIC in Montgomery along with a certified check or money order for $25...another trip to the bank or post office. Finally, you wait 5-10 business days for processing before your background check is mailed back to you.

If you are able to convince the subject of your search to complete all these steps and pay for the service, this is definitely the best method for acquiring Alabama criminal records.

 

Points of consideration:

An Alabama ACJIC search is restricted to criminal records from within the state and will not include crimes committed in other states. Something to consider is the mobility of today's population and the weak economy. People move around, following new opportunities.

This appears to be especially true of criminals looking for new victims. Bottom line is there is a good chance that an Alabama background check is missing something important from another state.

Plus, in today's world of increasingly sophisticated scam artists, just having access to state specific criminal records simply isn't enough anymore. A properly conducted state or national search on yourself or your subject can give you a comprehensive picture.

As such, an Alabama background check from ACJIC will work fine for if you are interested in your own criminal records, or if you are an employer.

If you are an employer and would like to apply for online access to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC), Start Here for an overview and application.

If you are an individual and would like to conduct an Alabama background check on yourself or have the cooperation of the subject of your search, Start here for the necessary form.

 

Using an online Alabama background check for complete records:

An online Alabama background check will expand your choices and allow you to include a nationwide search from the convenience of your web connected computer. Online services do not limit who you can do a search on and will typically return results within minutes.

An online background search will include information specific to Alabama and depending on the level selected, nationwide information as well. The official state background check will never include this level of detail.

Details usually returned within minutes include:

• Statewide incarceration records
• Civil Court Judgments, Lawsuits
• Bankruptcies,  and Tax Liens
• Associates, Aliases and Relatives
• Address History, Phone Numbers, Properties and more.

As you can see, an online Alabama background check quickly returns detailed civil court information and public records. Due to Alabama's central repository, instant online criminal records only include incarceration records.

However, don't worry, obtaining the most comprehensive records on criminal matters is easily possible. After you have an address history using a background check, you will have to use an online county courthouse records search for where your subject lived.

County searches typically require a few days to complete.

Below are 5 products you can use to acquire comprehensive Alabama and/or national records using USSearch. Depending on your needs, there are basic and advanced options.

1. $19.95 $14.95 – Basic Background Check: National records search and includes criminal records for the state of choice.
• Full Name, Age
• Phone Numbers, Current Address, Address History
• Bankruptcies, Civil Judgments, Lawsuits, Tax Liens
• Plus State Criminal Search (Alabama criminal records include only statewide current inmates from the Department of Corrections.)
2. $49.95 $39.95 – Advanced Background Check: National records search and includes criminal records for the state of choice.
• Full Name, Age, Aliases
• Phone Numbers, Current Address, Address History
• Relatives, Neighbors, Associates
• Marriage & Divorce, Death Record
• Properties, Bankruptcies
• Civil Judgments, Lawsuits, Tax Liens
• Plus State Criminal Search (Alabama criminal records include only statewide current inmates from the Department of Corrections.)
3. $59.95 $44.95 – On-Premise County Courthouse Search: Necessary for complete criminal records in Alabama. Obtain an address history first, then conduct an on-premise county search.
4. $99.95 $74.95 - Expert Assisted National Criminal Background Check: Same features as advanced background check, plus a search expert assists you if necessary. It also includes a nationwide criminal records search.
5. $59.95 $44.95 - Instant Nationwide Criminal Search: Running just a criminal records search isn't very comprehensive, but will basically tell you who was in prison in 43 states. The expert assisted background check delivers a far more complete picture with addresses, etc, and also includes a national criminal records search.