The background check process begins when an applicant agency provides an applicant with a BCIA 8016, REQUEST FOR LIVE SCAN SERVICE form. Employment and licensing authorities may also face legal liability if applicants with specified active arrests or convictions are employed or licensed when statute prohibits such action based on the successful completion of a criminal background check. Entrusting applicants with the responsibility of the position prior to a criminal background check potentially jeopardizes the safety and integrity of the workplace and may leave some individuals exposed to unnecessary harm. As such, it is vital for the hiring or licensing authority to be aware of specified active arrests or convictions. These applicants are often candidates for positions that place them in a position of trust for some of California’s most vulnerable citizenry, elderly, and dependent adults and children. Securing a criminal background check prior to employment, licensure, or certification provides a hiring or licensing authority an important resource, which aids in the evaluation of the applicant. DOJ technicians process approximately 2 million state level background checks and 1.2 million federal level background checks annually. Today there are over 45,000 agencies authorized to perform background checks. Consequently, the number of requests for criminal background checks continues to increase exponentially. In the past few years there has been a heightened awareness of the availability of criminal background checks to aid in regulatory hiring decisions. While all criminal background check requests must be authorized by statute, some are mandatory while others are permissive. RAP sheets are based upon fingerprint submissions, and therefore positively identified biometrically a process by which a person's unique identity is confirmed.Īuthorized by California statute, the DOJ has processed State of California and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint-based background checks for decades. The DOJ uses this information to compile records of arrest and prosecution, known as “RAP sheets,” for individuals and disseminates the information for law enforcement and regulatory (employment and licensing) purposes. In this capacity, sheriff, police and probation departments, district attorney offices, and courts submit arrest and corresponding disposition information.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is mandated to maintain the statewide criminal record repository for the State of California.

Unique fingerprint