Criminal records are the foundation of the employment screening process.

There are four basic categories of criminal records:

1. county,
2. statewide,
3. federal statewide, and
4. federal nationwide.

It is important to better understand the complexity and variety of criminal record searches.

 A criminal case is tried in either a local county courthouse or a federal courthouse. There are 7,938 county courthouses in the United States. It is the responsibility of each county courthouse to maintain a record of all criminal charges. County criminal records are the most accurate and up-to-date records on file.

In some cases, a state maintains a statewide repository of criminal records. The repository typically includes the records of each county courthouse. The thoroughness of a statewide search varies dramatically from state to state and, as a result, may not always be appropriate for employment screening purposes. It is important to note that a nationwide database of county or statewide criminal records does not exist.

There are 103 federal district courthouses in the United States. Federal crimes do not appear in county or statewide searches and require a separate search. Federal criminal records are an essential part of the employment screening process and are available nationally or by state. A nationwide federal criminal record search accesses 94 of the federal district courts in the United States for criminal records. Statewide federal criminal record searches access all of the federal district courthouses within a particular state.

Many employment screening firms purchase vast databases of old criminal records which are often outdated, incomplete or otherwise inaccurate. Because the quality of database research is substandard, Delphi Security Solutions does not use information obtained from such databases. Instead, Delphi Security Solutions maintains criminal record researchers in every courthouse in the country.