Is Criminal Background Checking a Necessity?

[Loretta R. Payson]

Conducting a criminal background check will cost employer and even landlord’s a great piece on their fund’s cartwheel. For employers, a simple background check is not enough to accept applicants likewise to landlords to its potential tenants. They must both need, at most cases, conduct criminal background checks. Perhaps the main reason for such is to be certain that what they hire to join the company or what they accept to live in their property is trustworthy just like what they claim on their resume, interview or with their appearance.

Other than that, what else are the possible and imperative grounds giving justice why a criminal background check is needed?

Here’s a short list why:

1. Negligent Hiring – A check on the criminal records of the person under consideration is the employer or landlord’s preventive measure to steer clear from being sued with negligent hiring. An employer or a landlord can be sued with this lawsuit if they hire or accept person as a tenant with criminal record that later will cause danger and injuries to others be it a co-worker, customer, client, patient or co-tenant. They are held liable for hiring a person with that is dangerous or harmful and that is unfit to do the job. For example, a patient can sue the hospital if one of its staff nurse happen to give him/her wrong medicine that later will cause more injury or illness to him/her. The hospital can be charged with negligent hiring for hiring a incompetent nurse.

2. Violence at the Workplace – Safety in the workplace or in the residence is one of the top priority employers and landlords wants to maintain. An act of violence can cost profit and revenue loss to company which figures rising up to millions annually. A person with records showing past incident of violence will logically be repeated in the future. That’s why criminal background checks can be a deciding factor to hire or deny applicant or accept or reject a tenant.

3. As Required or Mandated By Law – Criminal background check on applicants that will work on a childcare institution, hospitals, and nursing homes are is required by the federal law to be conducted. This is an answer to the growing statistic of child violence and crimes committed against them like kidnapping, molestation and sexual assault. Employers have also a legal duty to ensure a workplace free from any danger or violence. What’s better way to prevent this is to pre-screen all potential employees. That way, any person with violent tendency is prevented from entering.

Whatever the reason applicable for employers or landlords, the bottom line is to be always preventive and safe. A criminal background check is an effective tool to achieve it.