How to See What’s on Your Background Check in Utah

Whether you are applying for a job, a volunteer opportunity, a place to live, or even to adopt a child, you may be requested to share your criminal history. This can be scary if the crimes of your past no longer define who you are today. It’s natural to worry what might still be on your criminal history and how the person requesting it might interpret the information. Below are some questions you may have if you need to provide a criminal background check and what to do if you need help challenging the results or expunging your record.

What types of criminal background checks are there?

For background checks in Utah, there are two main entities that provide criminal background checks:

Name and DOB records check through the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI)
Fingerprint-based records check through the FBI

Can I see what’s on my criminal background check before someone requests it?

Yes. You can request a copy of your Utah criminal history and/or a copy of your fingerprint-based identity history from the FBI.

How to get your Utah Criminal History

You can request your Utah criminal history from the BCI in two ways.

In person
Through the mail

If you want to request your criminal history in person, the Utah BCI office is located in Salt Lake City:

3888 West 5400 South

Salt Lake City, Utah 84129

Phone: 801-965-4445

If you want to apply through the mail, you need to print and complete the form available on the BCI website and return it in the mail along with your fee.

How to get your FBI criminal history

This process is a little more involved because it requires you to submit a copy of your fingerprints. There are three options for requesting your FBI identity summary:

Electronically
Through the mail
Via an FBI-approved channeler* (private businesses authorized to help with background checks)

*FBI-approved channelers may charge an additional fee and may have different processing times.

How much does it cost to request my background check?

If you apply for an identity check from the FBI, the cost is $18.

If you apply for a Utah criminal history check, the cost is $15.

Who can request my criminal background information?

Under Utah law, only certain businesses and organizations can request your criminal background check directly from the state or FBI databases. These entities are those that work with the following interests:

Children (including private adoption agencies)
Vulnerable adults
Fiduciary trusts
National security

Important: While approved entities who work with the interests above can request your data directly, any other private entity has the option to ask you to request your own background check and share the results with them.

If I agree to a background check, what happens next?

Before your information is shared by Utah or the FBI, the organization requesting your information must get a signed waiver from you.

The waiver will include information about who will see the information and how that information will be used. Additionally, you have the right to view and challenge the results of your background check. But Utah law prohibits the organization making the request from giving you a copy. If you want a copy, you must go through the process to obtain your report yourself.

Can I change my criminal history report?

If you believe there are errors in your record, you can challenge the results or potentially go through the process of expunging your record. In either case, it will be beneficial to get the help of an experienced defense lawyer. The lawyers at Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat have decades of experience contesting inaccurate information and expunging records to help people clear up past crimes and live easier as free citizens.

If you have questions about your criminal history check or how to expunge your record, contact us at (801) 532-5297 to get started.

7 Ways to Support Family and Friends Serving in Utah Prisons

It is difficult when a family member or friend leaves to serve a prison term. However, there are ways to make the experience better for both you and your loved one while separated by prison walls. Supporting incarcerated loved ones is a great way to help them not only endure their sentence but find ways to learn and grow from it. Here are seven ways you can support a family member or friend who is serving a prison sentence in Utah.

4 Things to Know About Cyberstalking in Utah

The state of Utah has specific laws around electronic communication harassment. While there are many ways to harass someone with electronic communication, the crime most commonly known is cyberstalking. Since cyberstalking can happen anywhere, it’s important to keep in mind that a person who is guilty of the crime can be subject to prosecution in the jurisdiction where the communication originated or was received. Here are four things you should know about cyberstalking and the potential consequences associated with the crime in Utah.

How Much Trouble You Can Get For Destruction of Property In Utah

Let’s say you are are in the middle of a heated conflict. Your coworker is making you mad and vice versa. You are at a point where you want to hurt him, but you want to do it in a way that won’t cause physical pain. You justify in your mind that because you won’t assault him, it’s okay.So one night, you break into his home and destroy his beautiful flat screen TV. It’s a nice setup, but you think it will be okay. You know that he makes a lot more than you, and he’ll be able to afford a new one.This is a bad idea. Not only would you likely get fired over this kind of thing, you would have committed a couple of very serious crimes including destruction of property, which is one of the 10 most common crimes in Utah.