Sex Offender Checks

ScoutLogic's sex offender registry checks are thorough and handled with the utmost care and efficiency. In the United States, individuals convicted of certain sexual crimes—such as sexual assault, child molestation, or rape—are required to register as sex offenders, with registries maintained at the state level. We treat this aspect of screening as mission-critical because it is.

A sex offender registry check is included in the National Criminal Database search, which covers all 50 states and U.S. territories. Any potential pointer data is verified at the state registry through our National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) search. The NSOR check can also be provided as a standalone product for customers who are required to perform real-time NSOR checks and verify results at the state level when necessary.

Sex offender registry checks matter because they directly protect those who are most at risk and protect your organization from severe harm and liability. It’s a non-negotiable element of thorough background screening for many roles.

Protect vulnerable populations. If your business involves interaction with children, teenagers, or other vulnerable individuals, you must ensure that employees do not have a history of sexual offenses. Those with past sexual crime convictions are often legally barred from certain roles or proximity to minors. The registry check helps identify such individuals so you can avoid placing them (and those they’d interact with) at risk.

Ensure public safety and corporate responsibility. Hiring someone on a sex offender registry for a public-facing role can lead to severe consequences. Conducting sex offender checks demonstrates that your company takes community safety seriously. It’s part of being a responsible employer and good corporate citizen. Some states even mandate these checks for specific types of jobs.

Maintain compliance and avoid legal liability. If an employee with a known sex offense history harms someone in the course of their job, the company could face massive liability. Negligent hiring lawsuits may claim that you should have known about and prevented the risk. Additionally, in regulated sectors (such as education or childcare), you may be legally required to screen sex offender registries. Failing to do so could result in fines or the loss of your business's licenses.

Be confident you didn’t miss anything. You might assume that a standard criminal background check would catch sex offenses, and often it will show the conviction. However, not all background check packages automatically include the registry search, which is a separate, dedicated database. That means it’s possible to get a “clear” criminal report (especially if the conviction was many years ago or in another state) while missing the fact that the person is on a registry.

ScoutLogic takes sex offender registry checks very seriously and integrates them seamlessly into our background screening process.

Automatic inclusion in packages. Unlike some screening providers, where you must specifically request a sex offender search, ScoutLogic automatically includes a sex offender registry check in every comprehensive criminal package (and we highlight it for roles involving vulnerable groups).

National coverage. Our National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) search uses resources that include the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, which has web services to search each individual state plus territorial and tribal registries in real-time. ScoutLogic verifies any information directly with state registries to ensure we have the most up-to-date data. This national approach ensures that if a candidate committed a crime in another state and is registered there, we will catch it.

Fast, reliable results. Sex offender registry searches are typically very fast, in fact often instantaneous, because the data is online and publicly accessible. ScoutLogic’s platform queries the database and can return results quickly, usually within seconds to minutes. We then have our team verify any potential matches to confirm if it’s indeed your candidate.

Integrated reporting and alerts. If a candidate appears on the registry, ScoutLogic flags it prominently in the report and will often notify you proactively (especially if this check is run separately from a full criminal report). Moreover, our Scouts are there to support with any questions.

Comprehensive criminal solutions. Because ScoutLogic offers complete criminal background solutions, the sex offender registry check doesn’t live in isolation. We ensure that the pieces align and present a comprehensive view, which reduces error. That thorough safety net is a ScoutLogic benefit.