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Alabama Enters The Background Checking BusinessMaury Mitchell hopes the $25 check will become a moneymaker. Mitchell is the director of the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, the agency that collects, stores, retrieves, analyzes and distributes criminal justice data on behalf of the state. Law enforcement agencies and the courts have long relied on the information generated by the ACJIC. But under a new program, businesses now have access, offering them a secure and up-to-date check of an applicant's or employee's Alabama arrest and conviction records. To use the Alabama Background Check, or ABC, system, employers must meet certain basic qualifications, Mitchell said last week. They have to have a signed waiver from the individual whose background is being examined, which they must retain, as a paper record, for three years from the date it is used. The employer is also limited in the use of the information obtained and can't resell it. The information the agency compiles is "a valuable asset, and we've been limiting its capability," said Mitchell, who adds that at least 22 other states offer some kind of backgrounding service. The background checks cover a seven-year window and do not include either juvenile or youthful offender records. Alabama law currently sets the $25 price for the checks, but Mitchell said he hopes to have legislation approved that gives him a bit more flexibility in offering price breaks to customers who run lots of checks, or perhaps to nonprofits. He said he's hoping the ABC system generates some money that can be used to enhance the capabilities of the agencies involved. ABC is a joint effort of the ACJIC, the state Department of Public Safety and the state Administrative Office of Courts. Granted, the $25 background check is somewhat limited because it is based solely on Alabama records. But Mitchell and Avery Morris, manager of the ACJIC's information integrity division, said the agency's checks do offer a couple of distinct advantages. One, the information is updated almost instantly. And it offers a record of arrests as well as convictions, something other background checks might not generate. "This is the official state background source," said Morris. "It is up-to-date and basically the same information state law enforcement is given." TO FIND OUT MORE: For more information on the ABC system, see www.background.alabama.gov or call 334-242-4900. |
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