Nowadays, there’s virtually no excuse for someone not to know specifics about a partner by the time you become exclusive or committed. In most circumstances, people meet for the first time virtually to decide if someone is a person worth pursuing dating or a no-go.
Many dating sites are now including background checks as part of their services to keep members safe. A person is either allowed to participate or not approved through this information. It’s unclear if this is something free sites engage in.
If the app you meet a potential match on doesn’t do background checks, it’s in your best interest to check if these people have a criminal history before spending time with them alone.
There is too much violence in the world and unscrupulous characters with ill intentions to leave your destiny to fate. How can you find out if a guy has a criminal record?
There are a few paths you can follow. Fortunately, criminal convictions are a matter of public record. So the court system and national agencies can access these for you. There are variables to consider, though. Let’s look at the topic a bit more in-depth.
Searching for someone’s criminal records
Dating apps like Tinder, Zoosk, Plenty Of Fish, etc.. are the most common method for people meeting and matching with potential new partners. The downside is there are so many scams online and such violence in the world. As a result, you never know if the person you’re talking to is legit.
No one can cry “foul” if they find out someone isn’t the person they presented on their dating profile if there’s no effort to confirm the individual’s details before becoming involved with that person.
It takes a lot of effort to find an authentic, transparent person. More often than not, especially when dating, you sort of have to work to yank out the details because it’s tough to find someone who will voluntarily divulge all their secrets, even if the relationship is progressing into a couplehood.
There’s that fear of rejection, causing a lot of people to keep their dirty laundry in the clothes bin.
What does this mean for the average dater? Background checks are necessary, at the very least. If the site you’re on doesn’t incorporate these into their platform, some do, and some don’t. You must invest in one before deciding to take a guy from a casual date into being a boyfriend.
What you’re trying to determine is if there’s any criminal history that you should be concerned with.
Aside from a background investigation, a criminal record is a matter of public records that can be made available to you through the appropriate court system or a national agency.
The issue would be to determine where to search since it will be based on the jurisdiction of the incident. Check out these tips to narrow things down just a bit.
Search engines specific to people
“Check people” is a background checking service capable of navigating volumes of data allowing for cross-referencing. The stipulation is that you have adequate and correct details for the individual you met on POF, eHarmony, Badoo, or any other dating app.
That means no alias, a list of previous residences, and areas where there might have been an arrest. These are the minimum guidelines for doing a search.
The more refined your details and abundant, the greater your opportunity to gain access to relevant information. Of course, a date of birth along with the birth location are pieces of information, particularly for someone with a relatively common name.
If you feel the information doesn’t seem to apply to this person, try variations of the name.
Maybe use the mother’s maiden name, or try the middle name as a first name to see if something strikes more closely with something you recognize.
Court records could be available online
Some court records might be readily available online for you to take a look through. Not all will be, but it’s a chance to take. The counties and states throughout the country upkeep a crime database for their territories.
The first step when browsing through these is to learn if the guy’s current jurisdiction maintains one of these online “rap sheet databases.” Then you can search using the person’s name.
- Read also: How to tell if a dating profile is fake
Travel to the area in person
If there’s no online access to view the criminal database, you’ll need to travel to the police department or visit the court. Where you can ask to view conviction records for this person. What will be included in this request will be potential “warrants, pending charges, and arrests or possible convictions.”
These will be sealed if the incidents occurred when he was a minor or if the offenses were misdemeanors where the sentence was served, and no other violations were incurred.
For those hyper-concerned, it might be worthwhile to call in the professionals. It’s not unheard of to reach out to a private investigator to look where you might not have been able to.
These individuals are paid to find misbehavior and do so with incredible accuracy. It is, however, a costly venture, one that should be reserved as a last-ditch effort and if something is sincerely bothering you about your mate.
Checking with the “National Sex Offender Registry”
Most partners will be more concerned with significant violations on a criminal history for a potential boyfriend. One site at the top of that list is the “Sex Offender Registry.”
Many of the states provide the capacity to do searches not only on sex offenders but fugitives overall. The indication is that Wikipedia includes the list of states along with the varied links to specific websites. But you can do the same with a basic Google search.
As mentioned in the beginning, it will take effort. But dating today is not what it once was – neither is the world. You can never be too careful, and that includes checking up on the person you choose as a partner before you get too involved in a committed relationship.
That doesn’t mean, though, that you should sit back and live in fear of every person you come in contact with either.
- Keep reading: How to get your husband back after separation steps
What should you do once you find that he has criminal records?
When checking for a criminal history on your new dating partner or someone you hope to turn into a dating partner, it’s essential to be up to speed on background checks and criminal records.
What the charges say on paper and what happened, in reality, could be two entirely separate scenarios that were interpreted differently by the accused and the accusers.
For instance, a guy could be labeled a “type 3 registered sex offender.” You see this and immediately think bad guy, run the other way.
Perhaps, however, the details were not available, or you didn’t scan thoroughly to find that this person was charged at 18 when an officer saw him with his 16-year-old girlfriend having sex.
While you might full well find negative details that might impact your thought process toward this man, make sure that the deductions are fair. You’ve taken the time to fully understand the scope of the situation before allowing it to ruin something that might have been decent.
Unfortunately, these are why many people keep their “dirty laundry” in the bin. People tend to jump to so many conclusions before having the whole story. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
You might see a profile where the guy divulges he has a bad credit rating. He didn’t go all the way through school. And he has some wild favorite movies. But the thing you’re not recognizing is he’s honest, open, and has the integrity to tell you these things.
If you’re concerned when you see a “transparent” profile like this, the best thing to do is ask questions because, obviously, that person has nothing they wish to hide.
Conclusion
Should you investigate a potential mate, shouldn’t you play detective? All things considered, safety is the number one priority when meeting and going out with new people.
Nowadays, this process is done via the internet using a profile usually bolstered to make users look good and earn extra “winks” and “swipe rights.”
Because so many people fear rejection, the stuff that turns others away is usually not divulged, at least for a while. Undoubtedly that would include having a criminal record.
In that vein, part of the dating process, if you really want to know someone involves investigating them – doing a background check. Now some dating sites do these, more of them actually are doing these.
But if you participate with one that doesn’t, the suggestion is to do an independent check focusing on criminal charges and those details.
The details are critical when looking into someone’s past. Sometimes when you see something on paper, the reality might paint a different picture. Move along if you’re unsure about what’s depicted on the record or in the person’s past. But avoid judging this individual because someone else has already played that role.
