How to Perform Maryland Judiciary Case Searches Online

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Perform an online Maryland Judiciary Case Search as part of a pre-employment background check, to help you weed out most of the dishonest applicants before initializing further steps. In these tough economic times, good jobs are few and far between. The high and climbing rate of unemployment causing many businesses, large and small, to close or downsize. Whether searching for an honest replacement, or desperately trying to wade through the flood of 'qualified applicants' to staff a new small business, you need all the advantage you can get! How would you like to know in advance whether the information submitted proves factual or fantasy, before laying out money for Urinalysis and State Police background checks?

Things You'll Need:
* Full legal name and date of birth.
* Internet access.
* The burning desire to find someone honest to work for YOU in the State of Maryland.

1. Straighten up that stack of job applications and set some time aside for a little research. The State of Maryland provides, free of charge, a means of searching an online database containing District Court traffic & criminal case records. Circuit Court criminal and civil case records. The amount if information available per jurisdiction varies based on when computerized case management systems became available; how well managed and often upgraded. Even if an applicant has never received a conviction, a history of their arrest/case disposition remains documented and available online unless they have petitioned the Courts to expunge their records. These public records remain available to anyone and everyone with the desire to look a little deeper. Understand, however, that Juvenile Records are sealed and unavailable to the general public.

2. Gathering information for an employee criminal background check, applications often request information about prior criminal convictions. But keep it legal; don't make the mistake of asking IF or HOW MANY TIMES someone may have been arrested!
Many innocent people find themselves arrested and released. Then again, the Courts arrest and release thousands of guilty people due to clerical error or a technicality such as failure to properly maintain chain of evidence protocol. Perhaps a case was dropped due to witness intimidation; no States witness/no case. Or maybe they left no DNA or fingerprints behind to prove sufficient evidence to convict. You, by Law, can only ask whether the applicant has ever received a conviction and, if so, to explain the circumstances.

3. Insure that you have properly formatted your job application to ask for pertinent information such as the full legal name and any aliases the applicant has ever used. You will need their date of birth. Also ask for an address history of 3-5 years (or more). This satisfies the information required to initiate an online Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

4. Begin background screening on the local level by verifying as much of this identifying information as you can. Request legal copies of their Driver's License, State ID Card, Passport, Birth Certificate and Social Security Card. Contact prior Employers and personal/business References. Verify that the Schools listed show them in their alumni records.

5. Visit the Maryland Judiciary Case Search website, once you have verified the name(s), dates and locations. After reading and agreeing to the terms, conditions and limitations, click to continue on the next page. Enter the information into the applicable boxes and click search to commence. Keep the search wide; selecting All Case Types and searching Both Circuit and District Courts, with the Party Type and County set on Default All. Compare any results with the name and age of the applicant.

6. Complete the legal hiring process for employment by performing the background check required by the Maryland State Police. That requires having the applicant's fingerprints scanned through the (Nationwide) AFIS system. Applicants may go to a local law enforcement agency for printing on a state fingerprint card known as Form 011. This State Police will mail this card either to the CJIS-Central Repository located at 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 102, Baltimore Maryland 21215 or to CJIS-CR P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, Maryland, 21282. Contact the Maryland State Police for information regarding different levels of records searches and associated fees. For faster service, there are twenty-two Maryland State Police Barracks which offer criminal background checks.

Tips
* Keep in mind, especially if you are close to the State line, crimes committed out of State will not appear in Maryland's Judiciary Case record system.
* This type of search should only be used as a precursor to the background check run through the Maryland State Police.
* Anyone can use this search to perform a cursory background check on a potential mate for themselves or their kids over 18.
* Parents curious about neighbors or the people their kids associate with can also benefit.
* Are you a Landlord? Use this to check the background of potential Tenants!

Warning
* Anyone can petition the Courts to have their records/information expunged for a fee.

Copyright 3/21/2009 All Rights Reserved. Questions? Comments? Contact Me
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