Introduction There are some employers in regulated industries that have access to the FBI database; other employers have background checks performed for them by various state agencies.

Sounds fine, but there are problems. First, volume.  In 2005 the FBI processed approximately 10 million fingerprint checks for non-criminal justice purposes. Here is another small problem, the FBI records are arrest records, and half the records do not have final disposition information. This makes them unusable in states where only conviction records can be used in an employment check, such as New York.
People with criminal records have equal rights too, and they are covered under anti-discrimination statutes as well as the FCRA.

It is important to remember that there is no single source of complete and up to date information. Not all counties report to their state's repositories, those that do have their own schedule of when they do and they have different methods of reporting to the state records database.

So, even the FBI database can not be totally relied upon. A county criminal background is the by far the most reliable source of criminal records.

An FBI Identification Record, often referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet, is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service. If the fingerprints are related to an arrest, the Identification Record includes name of the agency that submitted the fingerprints to the FBI, the date of arrest, the arrest charge, and the disposition of the arrest, if known to the FBI. All arrest data included in an Identification Record is obtained from fingerprint submissions, disposition reports and other reports submitted by agencies having criminal justice responsibilities.
 

For more information on FBI fingerprint requests:  Click Here and Here