Will You Pass A Background Investigation?
Nearly all employers require that candidates for forensic scientist and criminalist positions pass a rigorous background investigation. Background investigations help establish whether a candidate has the personal integrity and honesty to be a credible expert witness in the criminal justice system.
Background investigations present difficulties for many students interested in pursuing careers in forensic science. No matter how smart, experienced, or qualified you may be, you will not be able to work in the field if you cannot pass a background investigation. While the details and criteria for background investigations vary from agency to agency, the following general areas are common in most agencies policies:
- Criminal History – Engaging in any behavior that constitutes a felony or many misdemeanors is likely to disqualify you. It does not matter if you were convicted or even charged with the crime for it to be a problem.
- Drug Use – Any drug use or experimentation is likely to disqualify you for employment. Some, but not all, agencies make exceptions for a few (~3 or less) isolated uses (not sale or distribution) of marijuana in the past (more than ~5 years).
- Credit Record – Your financial history is fair game as evidence of your honesty, integrity, and responsibility in dealing with contractual agreements. Bankruptcy will often disqualify candidates. In some agencies large credit card debt can be a problem.
- Driving Record – Nearly every agency will evaluate your driving record, not just for letting you drive their vehicles, but also as a way to evaluate your respect for and compliance with laws and regulations. Single citations may not disqualify a candidate, but repeated or severe citations are likely to.
- Past Work Performance – Like most employers, forensic laboratories will be interested in your past work performance.
- Personal Associations – Almost all agencies will look into or interview people you work with, neighbors, friends, family, and other personal associations to learn more about you and your character. In most cases you wont be penalized for having a brother who uses drugs, but close association and participation with questionable communities (e.g. gangs) is almost always a problem.
Investigators don’t like surprises. Your candor in answering questions about these areas is critical, and is often checked with a polygraph examination. For instance, taking a few pencils home from work (theft) may not disqualify you, but lying about it or omitting it from questionnaires is likely to.
Take these requirements seriously. Think carefully about your past before commencing study and take care to ensure that you avoid problem activities during your studies. Many agencies report losing between 20% and 50% of qualified applicants in this process.
Do you have more questions about background investigations and qualifications for working as a forensic scientist? You may find the NIJ Forensic Education report (pages 7-10) helpful. You can also contact a forensic advisor or an employer in your area with your questions.