Free Criminal Background Checks

Free criminal background checks have their uses, of which marriage is increasingly coming to the fore. Of course, these background investigations are necessary even you profess love and trust for your future spouse and even when you have known each other for quite some time. The need for these background checks increases when you meet the person online, when you engaged in a whirlwind romance and when either of you are from different states/countries. Indeed, free criminal background checks are as necessary as prenuptial agreements to protect your interests in a world where many people turn out to be clever pretenders and where many marriages end in divorce.

International Marriages

In case you are not aware of it, there is a United States federal law called the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act. This law requires background checks for the visa sponsors of international marriages initiated through any private agency involved in the mail order bride industry and imposes limits on the number of visa applications a sponsor can avail of. The law was the result of many high-profile cases of foreign women marrying American men through a mail order bride service and subsequently being murdered by their spouses. You might remember the cases of Susanna Blackwell and Anastasia King as the most notable examples. If only these unfortunate women had access to even the most basic information available through free criminal background checks, their fate might have been avoided.

In these cases of international marriages, background investigations are warranted as these women (or men) often have no relatives living within the proximity of their future conjugal homes. Thus, they have no familial support to turn to in case the spouse exhibits criminal behavior. At the very least, criminal background checks precludes any foreigner from marrying an American man (or woman) who might pose a threat to her (or his) safety and vice-versa. However, you are well advised to avoid free criminal background checks since these have its serious limitations among them the incompleteness, inaccuracy and outdated information gathered.

Domestic Marriages

Even marriages between Americans, or between two persons of the same nationality for that matter, must go through criminal background investigations. There are many conmen, gold diggers, social climbers, serial divorcees and serial killers in this country that marry for their personal gain like fame, fortune and power. There are many who pretend to be something they are not to lure women (and men) into the marriage trap only to kill them in many respects. With free criminal background checks, you might have a measure of protection against these unscrupulous individuals. However, for complete, comprehensive and updated background checks and reports, you are better off with sites that offer retainer services for an almost unlimited number of background investigations for an annual fee.

Of course, free criminal background checks are free and easily accessible to all those wishing to be married. But when you compare the advantages against the disadvantages of free criminal background checks, you will opt for a subscriber-based investigative company/site instead. At the very least, you will know your future spouse better on many levels, not just on what he says he is and what he shows you while you are around. Only then should you make the great leap of marriage based on concrete knowledge and on abstract love.