Criminal Record; What Is It?

Every second a crime is being committed somewhere in the world and every second too somebody gets convicted for one form of crime or the other. The rate or frequency with which this occurs varies from country to country. Some countries are relatively calm and quiet while some others are volatile and prone to crimes.

Criminal record therefore, is the record of a person’s criminal history. This record may be of crimes committed recently or in the distant past. It does not matter whether the records are old or new, what is important is that there is a record kept in the database or archive of the state or country which can be referred to should there be any need. Meaning that the criminal history of an individual can easily be researched at any time it is needed by individuals, institutions, state or the nation.

Why keep criminal records?
Keeping a criminal record enables the state to understand or keep a track record of past criminal behaviours of individuals, whether they have at any time in the past be convicted of any crime, and also to be able to predict their tendency to commit more crimes in the future. This also enables the state or judiciary to determine or differentiate a habitual criminal from one who has just committed a crime for the first time, and know how to plead on their behalf when arraigned before the court of law.
Furthermore, keeping a criminal record ensures that criminals are not appointed into sensitive public positions such as the office of the finance minister, Accountant General, minister of defence, or other positions that require trust and probity. Employers also use this record to recruit men of proven character for their companies; they are saved the pain of employing people with questionable character and those that cannot be trusted with confidential records/files or public funds.

Criminal record also helps to prevent ex-convicts from contesting elections and be voted into public offices. In several countries ex-convicts are not allowed to contest in an election; so having criminal records will enable the state or political parties to filter out those who have dented records.
It also helps reduce the rate of crime. When people know that whatever crime they commit would dent their image and prevent them from enjoying certain privileges they will do everything humanly possible to abstain from crimes. This invariably brings to the barest minimum the rate at which crimes are being committed.

Sources of criminal records
Criminal records can be gotten from the following sources: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), the federal bureau of prisons, family watch, court records, police records, Nationwide Criminal Records website, Public record Finder, Integra scan, Criminal Records search engines, Neighbourhood Watch (criminal searches), free public information, etc.

Though some states’ laws require you inform the person involved before carrying out a background check on him, some others make it easier by passing laws that allow access to sources of information concerning individuals’ criminal records. The laws of the state or country must be respected when you want to run a criminal record check on an individual.

It should be noted that not all crimes committed by an individual and entered into records are capable of preventing such persons from seeking public positions or being employed by reputable companies (e.g. misdemeanour). However, the following crimes can make it very difficult or impossible to seek positions of public trust – Sex offenses (e.g. Rape), theft, burglary, murder, fraud/embezzlement, serious traffic crimes, armed robbery, impersonation, forgery, tax evasion/tax dodge, assassination, arson, drug trafficking, gun running, hijack, kidnapping, carjacking, treason, assault and battery, etc

When next you are tempted to commit a crime remember there’s criminal record and that yielding to such temptation may dent your reputation for life. Run away from crimes and enjoy life and freedom to the fullest.