Criminal Background Checks

We blend technology with a human touch to provide faster, more accurate results.
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Background Checks are Not Created Equal

Getting a complete picture of a candidate’s criminal history is often more complex than people think. At Sterling, we make it easy for you to make fast, more accurate, and safer hiring decisions through a combination of robust services, solutions, and technology that allows us to:

  • Uncover more criminal activity
  • Gain direct access to more US criminal records
  • Deliver accurate results quickly
Sterling's Screening Speed
70% close in 1 hour,
90% close in 1 day
Direct Digital Access to More Criminal Records
With CourtDirectTM, our proprietary automation technology allows Sterling to digitally access 85% of US criminal search records. Some county jurisdictions still rely on paper records, where a county clerk needs to manually retrieve those records. In situations like these where automation isn’t available, we have our own dedicated team of court researchers available, which allows Sterling to find and deliver physical court records faster than third-party court runners A court runner is a person who physically goes to court houses and transacts directly with the court clerk to obtain copies of official records held by the court. .
More Criminal Activity Uncovered

With Sterling’s three powerful criminal locator tools, we cast a wider net to identify the most likely places to search for criminal records. When used together, these three locator tools uncover tens of thousands more criminal records than instant database searches alone.

Social Security Number Trace
Sterling identifies the address history associated with a Social Security Number (SSN) using an extensive database of 10,000+ sources. The results broaden the scope of a background check to include jurisdictions (and names, if requested) beyond what the candidate has disclosed. Alias names also may be identified upon request.
Enhanced Nationwide
The Enhanced Nationwide Criminal Database searches State, County, and Corrections criminal record databases to locate additional jurisdictions where a candidate may have committed a crime. Prior to reporting, possible felony and misdemeanor convictions and pending cases are verified against primary source court records to validate the record before it is reported.
Locator Select
Locator Select queries over 2400 jurisdictions for bookings and incarcerations, covering most of the incarcerated population in the US, and locates additional jurisdictions where a candidate may have criminal record history. Possible felony and misdemeanor convictions as well as pending cases are verified against primary source court records to validate the record before it is reported.
Blending Technology with a Human Touch

Sterling doesn’t just use technology alone for our background check services. Our market experts use a consultative approach to apply technology in the most appropriate ways to deliver the high-quality results that our clients rely on. We evaluate data at every step of the criminal screening process, reducing the opportunity for errors to occur.

Our advanced technology is designed with regulatory compliance as its foundation by applying filters to support alignment with federal and state reporting requirements. We leverage  assisted Machines perform existing processes, including the replacement of repetitive and standardized tasks previously done by humans. and  augmented The intersection of where humans and technology learn from each other, empowering humans to do things they couldn’t do before. intelligence because we believe humans and technology can and should continuously interact.

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A Robust Suite of Services and Expertise

Sterling’s background services are designed for today’s modern global workforce. Our robust suite of background screening services can be tailored to fit your specific business needs and requirements.
County Court Record Searches are available in 3340+ counties in the US. These searches identify potential criminal history information such as felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, and pending cases in the jurisdictions provided by the candidate or identified based on Social Security Trace and/or other locator services (e.g. where they have lived, worked, or attended school).
Sterling searches through the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), which includes registered sex offenders in 49 States, US territories, the District of Columbia, and participating Indian tribes. Please note that reporting in Nevada is not permitted under state law.
The Federal Court Search is for crimes that are prosecuted in federal district courts, including convictions and pending cases for charges such as international/inter-state drug trafficking, kidnapping, and other federal-level crimes. Sterling can obtain federal records from all district courts throughout the US and related territories.
FACIS, a search with Verisys®, pulls primary source data from federal and state sources for exclusions, sanctions, debarments, and disciplinary actions against healthcare professionals and businesses for published license types and publishing jurisdictions. FACIS sources include federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), List of Excluded Individuals/Entities, the System for Award Management (SAM), and Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).
A State Search explores a state’s repository or state police records for criminal information, and can provide an alternative source for criminal record information in the state.
GLOBEX searches millions of records worldwide sourced from foreign governments, courts, regulatory enforcement, law enforcement agencies, and other public and proprietary data sources around the globe. Data sources are subject to availability and applicable reporting restrictions. This search is for restriction, sanction, and exclusion records maintained by US and international legal and regulatory enforcement organizations and public sources. The search includes sources containing information from 1700+ Watchlists and Sanctions with 4+ million records, as well as Politically Exposed Persons.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons is commonly referred to as a terrorist watch list. OFAC administers and enforces economic sanctions programs primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. The sanctions can be comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals. This search spans multiple geographies with varying regulations and regional considerations, and so the results are subject to availability and applicable reporting limitations.
A Consultative Approach to Fit Your Needs

It doesn’t matter whether an individual is an employee, independent contractor, volunteer, business executive, or otherwise – the worker represents the employer’s brand. Background screening is a critical risk mitigation tool therein, regardless of the worker’s classification.

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Your Top Background Check Questions, Answered.

We get it. Background checks feel complicated sometimes—but they don’t have to be. If you’re a client or candidate with questions, we’ve got answers.
See Client FAQs See Candidate FAQs

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Criminal Background Checks

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