Previously, the only way to get a criminal background check was to hire an investigator. Today you can do this with only a few minutes in front of your home computer.

Step 1

You can use search engines like Google. Enter someone's full name and put it within " " to get more results. It is even more helpful if you have more information like date of birth, address, and social security number. Most newspapers publish a list every week of arrest reports on the internet, so you may get lucky enough to find what you need. If you do not find anything, it doesn't mean that they do not have a record.

Step 2

You can try using the National Sex Offender Registry to find out if someone has committed any type of sexual crime and the Family Watch Dog site helps record sex offenders that have been let out of prison. The Department of Motor Vehicles can help you find out if someone has any arrests for reckless driving and you can use the Federal Bureau of Prison website will help you locate a current inmate.

When none of these methods get you anywhere, then a paid service may be exactly what you need.

There are quite a few companies that are online that can help you find all sorts of information:

Criminal, Arrest, and Jail Histories
Pedophiles in your neighborhood
Marriage/Divorce History
Phone Numbers and Where they live
Census and Civil Records
Bankruptcies
If they are on Parole
Any Missing Kids and Adults
Most Wanted Criminals