# Need help with criminal background check on me. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 31, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255 "2012-01-31T01:53:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/1 "2012-01-31T01:53:27Z")
I will be graduating from Nursing School in May, but I have a bit of a checkered past. Twenty years ago I got DUIs in both Alabama and Georgia, and I need to find the specific dates and what the court records are so I can tell the licensing board about them. I need to find records for everything about me during that time period when I was young and stupid and drinking way too much. I’ve dug around a bit, but I’m not sure what is a good criminal background site. Some of them tweak my scam-o-meter. I haven’t called the counties yet, because, well, I can’t even remember the exact years. Georgia was in 1992, but Alabama was somewhere between '94 and '97. Little help? Who’s the best to run a background check on me so I will see everything I ever did? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/2 "2012-01-31T03:01:02Z")
I bet the counties will have the records if you call them up - you probably don’t need to remember the exact year. You could always do the [FBI rap sheet](http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks) thing yourself - it’s pretty cheap, but takes 6 - 8 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/3 "2012-01-31T03:14:34Z")
My state charges $6 or $8 for a driving record check. That check would include a complete record from day one including records abstracted from other states. I don’t know where you are at now or whether it’s Alabama or Georgia. Wherever you are, get the driving record from the home state and go from there. If you are missing one state, inquire at the DMV for that state. If only driving offenses are involved, this should be complete enough for you. If nobody has a record, are you obliged to incriminate yourself? I’d simply say “This is all I could find” and add that you made a good faith effort. Chances are great that nobody else would find more. If you just want to privately see what might be out there beyond driving, I understand that emotion. I can’t suggest a scam free site. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/4 "2012-01-31T04:58:21Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > If nobody has a record, are you obliged to incriminate yourself? Yes I am. Nursing Licensing Boards are legally allowed to look at any arrest records (not just convictions). Even if I had the one from Alabama expunged, (which by AL law I could) it would still show up because licensing doesn’t work by the same rule as simple employment. They do some surprisingly _deep_ background. They will jump on my ass if I don’t claim something I actually did. So, I need a background check on me that will look at everything short of my shoe size. I need stuff like what **Eva Luna** posted (thanks, **Eva** , by the way) but preferably quicker than 6-8 weeks. I’d like to have all records before May. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/5 "2012-01-31T05:06:06Z")
Good luck. Moving from MPSIMS to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/6 "2012-01-31T05:12:31Z")
Addendum: I thank **Eva** for posting that, and I will follow up on her idea, but I am looking for a brainstorm here. I want shitloads of ideas. Some I will use, some I won’t, but I will appreciate every one. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/7 "2012-01-31T05:16:16Z")
Do you really need to have everything down to the date (or year) it happened or are you more worried that you may forget something? With this type of thing I always thought it was more of a “Oh, I see you have 3 rape convictions and 10 counts of stealing meds from nursing homes…yeah, we’re not even going to bother wasting time running a background check since you’re not going to pass” as opposed to “You failed since you said that DUI was on 2/7/92 but it was actually on 3/4/93, but if you had the date right we would have ignored it since it was so long ago”. As for ideas, call up the counties the convictions happened in and ask for the records and/or just check online. A lot of that stuff you can just find on the internet nowadays. You might not find everything but at the very least it’s a start and it might get you those dates you were looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/8 "2012-01-31T05:24:13Z")
My husband works as a background investigator for a background check company. He says that if you just call the courthouses for the counties where your DUIs happened they will give you all that information over the phone. Some counties in Georgia have websites where you can just look it up online, so you may check that out too. Alabama might too, but he’s not sure. His company will only go back seven years when they do a background check, so if that’s standard procedure with most background check companies, they might not be able to help you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/9 "2012-01-31T05:29:09Z")
I would call the clerks office at the court where you were convicted. They can usually lookbthat stuff up with you name and birthdate. I work in criminal defense and do this all the time. You may even be able to do it through the Court’s website, though not all courts have that option. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/10 "2012-01-31T05:40:23Z")
Congrats on you graduating. Good job! Did you hurt or kill anyone during your mispent youth? If not, those records are probably purged from the system. I just checked the retention schedule for my state and if you had been arrested here, the records would have been purged 7 years after you successfully finished your sentence and probation. And…I just did a search…and you need to know which county arrested you. That is where your records will be if they still exist. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/11 "2012-01-31T05:59:35Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Congrats on you graduating. Wait a sec. I haven’t graduated yet. However, I am very good at cardiac, so as a personal joke, can I call you **asystole**? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/12 "2012-01-31T06:17:01Z")
I have to say I don’t get why you have to incriminate yourself in these kinds of situations. If someone is going to do a background check on you anyway, why do you need to do it too? Just say, I’m not sure what my record says, but feel free to look it up. I got a bogus traffic ticket last year, which might have increased my insurance, but I refuse to send in their annual questionnaire (I wouldn’t go as low as to actually lie). I just send in my renewal check and they cash it. If they want my dirty laundry, they are going to have to spend the money to find it out. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/13 "2012-01-31T06:33:28Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I have to say I don’t get why you have to incriminate yourself in these kinds of situations. All you really need to know is that I just do. If it helps, think of it as a “security clearance” check similar to the military. It’s that deep, and it’s a privilege, not a right. But that’s all irrelevant. I don’t want the SDMB to question why I’m doing this, I want a brainstorm to tell me how to do it ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/14 "2012-01-31T06:38:53Z")
Any chance you still have your car insurance information from way back then, or at least know what company it was with? It’s kind of a long shot, but they might have records of every ticket you’ve ever gotten. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/15 "2012-01-31T06:41:22Z")
Sorry if this looks like a threadshitting. I guess I have one question and one comment. 1. If they are going to look it up anyway, why do you have to? If you discover one of your infractions is expunged, will you then not report it? 2. If they have the super deep anal records probe powers that you suggest, why not ask them what resources they are using, so your own search is congruent? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/16 "2012-01-31T06:42:07Z")
In short, I want a brainstorm of links. I am including this board in my wide net of how to proceed. I want ideas and links. ---
**Author:** ![MsJinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@MsJinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsJinx)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/17 "2012-01-31T06:49:02Z")
The company HireRight is used where I work. They search by your Social Security number. I don’t know if they would perform a search for an individual. I’ve heard that they only go back seven years, but the year is based on when your case was closed, not the original incident, and sometimes a case can stay in some open status for a long time due to various factors - like a clerical error. Their turnaround time can be very fast, but can be delayed by the response time of the agencies they search. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/18 "2012-01-31T07:05:49Z")
I need to put this back in > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Do you really need to have everything down to the date (or year) it happened or are you more worried that you may forget something? Yes, I’m worried I forgot something. ETA: And thanks **MsJinx** ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/19 "2012-01-31T13:24:40Z")
Can’t you go to your local Safety Building (police department) and get a records check on yourself? They run it thru NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and from what I remember it should cover everything. ---
**Author:** ![ballardfam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@ballardfam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ballardfam)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255/20 "2012-01-31T14:20:42Z")
I’d call the state board of nursing, explain the situation, and ask what they will accept as due diligence (or whatever the legal term is). You’re not the only nurse with an interesting past, they may have dealt with such issues before. And congratulations. I hope your new career brings you fulfillment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-criminal-background-check-on-me/611255.md?page=2)