Fingerprinting as Part of the Background Check Process
National background checks for noncriminal justice involve fingerprinting. To establish a person’s identity and create a thorough criminal history record, fingerprinting is utilized. It is feasible to identify a person with just one fingerprint impression, and fingerprints can be used all throughout a person’s life because no fingerprint has ever been known to exactly copy another one (including those of identical twins). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Background Check Program uses fingerprints to produce criminal history reports for job applicants, including those applying for direct access jobs, and to track records of criminal activities, such as arrests and dispositions (NBCP).
What distinguishes civil fingerprinting from criminal fingerprinting?
Typically, fingerprints are obtained for either doing a background check in accordance with a civil or regulatory authority or for criminal investigation and charging. As a result, fingerprinting can be divided into two main categories: civil and criminal. Criminal fingerprints are collected both during and after an arrest. These prints, together with the arrest or disposition information related to them, are sent to the SIB by the relevant law enforcement agency or court jurisdiction when required by State statute or policy.
For pre-employment screening, licensing requirements, and other legally permitted uses, civil fingerprints are collected. These fingerprints are used to access State and/or federal records, together with the applicant information that is necessary (see “What information is submitted with civil applicant fingerprints?” below). The fingerprints are compared to those used by the SIB and/or FBI to build criminal records. The requestor is subsequently provided with the relevant criminal history data (in most cases, this is a governmental agency).
What kinds of fingerprinting techniques are there?
There are two types of fingerprinting: ink-and-roll and electronic fingerprinting, commonly known as a live scan. The ink-and-roll technique involves rolling all 10 fingers on ink pads before rolling them onto paper cards.
Each live scan equipment for electronic fingerprinting employs a powerful scanner to produce a digital image of every fingerprint. The device’s software checks the fingerprints’ quality. In order to help assure the quality and completeness of the identifying information that must be given with the fingerprint photographs, live scan scanners additionally run checks. These records are often handled more quickly than hard cards since the information on live scan records has already been converted to digital form. Live scan is the favored technique for obtaining fingerprints due to its effectiveness, accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and rapidity.
How are fingerprint submission records made?
Typically, the fingerprinting entity (such as a potential employer, a State agency, a vendor, or a law enforcement agency) submits the fingerprint records of NBCP applicants to the SIB. The SIB is in charge of sending the FBI fingerprint records.
Usually, hard cards are mailed to the SIB in batches. The FBI ceased processing hard cards as of April 2012. When hard cards are still in use inside a State, the SIB must scan the cards and send Fingerprinting For Background Check electronically to the FBI.
