If you are employing someone for a job that does not constitute a high risk, a free criminal background service will do. If on the other hand you are looking to hire an employee to take up a bigger task, you might just need a paid one. You can easily search someones criminal history.
On the other hand, these background checks will also be beneficial to the person involved. This is because these online searches will be able to verify their credibility; hence, they are able to get recommendations from previous employers. They are also able to overcome that initial problem of suspicious eyes received from their bosses.
We all make associations daily and the ones you make can either make you or mar you. Your friends, associates, employees and even your spouse could be a convicted felon that is on prowl and there is no way you will know this since no one carries the label of a felon around. The only true and reliable way therefore to be safe, at least, is to do a criminal background check.
There are hundreds of free lookup services online which provides free access to the public records information. You can access this information without paying a single penny. The only problem with these services is their inability to provide the most updated, reliable and accurate information.