This article will help you:

• Understand a Sex Offender Registry Check
• Determine why a candidate may or may not appear on a Sex Offender Registry Check
• Understand your candidate's experience

A registered sex offender is a person who has been convicted of a sex crime and is required to register in their county of residence as sex offender as part of their sentence. Sex offender registries generally include the offender's address, physical appearance, and crimes for which they are required to register. All 50 states require individuals convicted of certain sex crimes to register for a defined period of time. Those convicted of more violent crimes are typically required to remain registered for longer periods. While registered, sex offenders must update their address each time they move.

A Sex Offender Registry Check can quickly identify if someone is a risk to a vulnerable population and the general public, including employees and customers. Almost all sex offenses may be considered job-relevant when individually assessing someone’s suitability for employment, which is in compliance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidance.

To be a registered sex offender, a person must:

• be convicted of a sex crime(s)
• be required to register as a sex offender in their state/county of residence as part of their sentencing.
• register as a sex offender, usually through the Sheriff’s department in their home county.

Despite being a criminal offense not to register when required to do so as part of sentencing, many sex offenders fail to register. Thus, a significant percentage of offenders in each state are not included in the registry and cannot be guaranteed to be free of a sex offender conviction.

Sex Offender Registry Check process

Checkr conducts a search of sex offender registration records from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and tribal territories. All public registries nationwide are queried during Checkr’s Sex Offender Registry Check. The search results include the type(s) of offenses that occurred and personal identifiers, such as date of birth (DOB). Checkr confirms results using the national and state sources, including the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).

Note: Some states categorize their sex offender registry information by level and do not allow the reporting of low-level sex offenders.

To ensure a comprehensive range of returned records, Checkr does not require exact name matching for the initial search of these sex offender registries. 

Potential records are passed to Checkr QA for additional review, including additional confirmation using the National Sex Offender Offender Public Website (NSOPW) and/or the state(s) specific sex offender registry.

Candidate Experience

The Sex Offender Registry Check is included in Checkr’s basic report package, which includes SSN Trace, Sex Offender Registry Check, Global Watchlist Records Check, and National Criminal Records Check. The Sex OffenderRegistry Check cannot be run as a standalone Screening.

Candidates will be asked to provide Personally Identifiable Information (PII), including their full name, date of birth, social security number, email address, and phone number.

They will then be presented and asked to acknowledge receipt of applicable forms and notifications, including Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and an Acknowledgement and Authorization for Background Check.

After the candidate consents, Checkr will initiate the Check.

If you've applied for a job and are looking for more information on your background check’s status or progress, please log into the Checkr Candidate Portal.