In his interesting post Report: Background checks keeping the wrong people out of jobs Sam Narisi ponders whether innocent people are being unjustly denied jobs. It does happen.
But then all background checks are not created equal. Running a criminal database should be fun as a once over or as a supplement. But if records show, the employer should verify with a County Criminal Search. County Criminal Searches are hand pulled from the courthouse. Depending on the background checking company, the better ones will help you interpret the information the courts provide and even request additional information or records, if necessary.
If you conduct County Criminal Background searches and your researcher actually knows how to read and interpret, and your background checking company knows what to look for, you shouldn’t be rejecting innocent candidates due to inaccurate or outdated records.