{"id":172,"date":"2019-10-25T10:23:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T14:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/?p=172"},"modified":"2020-11-03T10:06:39","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T15:06:39","slug":"will-a-dui-show-on-a-criminal-background-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/25\/will-a-dui-show-on-a-criminal-background-check\/","title":{"rendered":"Will a DUI Show on a Criminal Background Check?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>One&nbsp;offense&nbsp;that may cause confusion is a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. On the one hand, a DUI is an&nbsp;offense&nbsp;that can only occur while driving. As a result, many people assume a DUI will show on a driving history check but not on a criminal background check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/appg-preventpneumo.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/marijuana_bbreathalyzer1-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, a&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/burlingtoncriminallawyers.ca\/\">DUI is considered a serious crime<\/a>\u2014one that can lead to license suspensions, sizable fines, and jail time. In all 50 states, a&nbsp;first-offense&nbsp;DUI will normally be classified as a&nbsp;misdemeanor. Since&nbsp;misdemeanor&nbsp;convictions show up on criminal history screenings, it stands to reason that a DUI would appear on a standard criminal background check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, a DUI is thought to be more severe than most other driving&nbsp;offenses, hence the&nbsp;misdemeanor&nbsp;status. As a result, if you have a DUI (or several) on your record, they will show up in a pre-employment background check even if an employer does not conduct a driving history check. However, since a DUI is technically both a criminal&nbsp;offense&nbsp;<em>and&nbsp;<\/em>a<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Traffic_violations_reciprocity\">&nbsp;traffic violation<\/a>, it would also likely appear on any motor vehicle record check that a prospective employer runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Complications for the Job Application<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact that a DUI can show up on a criminal background check creates a dilemma for job seekers who have been convicted of this&nbsp;offense. If the job application includes the common \u201chave you ever been convicted of a crime?\u201d question, candidates with DUI history might be at a loss for how to answer it accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This criminal history question is slowly disappearing from job applications thanks to the spread of the ban the box movement. If you live in a jurisdiction that has banned the box, you may not have to worry about answering criminal history questions with regards to a DUI conviction.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/4838386\/commentary-canadas-new-impaired-driving-law-goes-way-too-far\/\">While ban the box policies are spreading,<\/a>&nbsp;they are still far from universal\u2014especially&nbsp;for private employers. As such, if you have a DUI on your record, you need to have a strategy for how to answer the question without killing your job chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your first strategy should be&nbsp;to&nbsp;tell the truth. A DUI may be a traffic violation, but it is also a crime in all 50 states. In other words, if you have a DUI conviction on your record, the only honest way to answer a question about criminal convictions is to check the box that says \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If given the opportunity, you should set the record straight with potential employers. The reason so many people want to ban the box that requires ex-offenders to reveal&nbsp;their&nbsp;criminal history is&nbsp;because that&nbsp;box offers no opportunity for nuance or explanation. Having a criminal history can mean a wide&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/4734230\/impaired-driving-law-changes-canada\/\">range of things depending on the nature<\/a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;offense, the outcome of the&nbsp;offense, and other factors. When an employer sees an applicant has checked the \u201cYes\u201d box on an application, they have no way of knowing if the candidate\u2019s criminal history is a single&nbsp;misdemeanor&nbsp;or a series of felonies. All they know is something is there waiting to be found on a background check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Getting Hired with a DUI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/appg-preventpneumo.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hqdefault-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>While a DUI will show up on a criminal background check, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it will hurt or kill your job chances. A&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/burlingtoncriminallawyers.ca\/dui\">DUI is a crime,<\/a>&nbsp;but employers often treat it like a traffic violation. If you are applying for a job that involves driving a company vehicle or operating heavy machinery, your prospective employer is going to take notice of a DUI. That conviction makes you a hiring risk that most employers will not take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are trying to land an office job or any other position with no driving-related responsibilities, your DUI may carry less weight with employers. Per the EEOC, employers are expected to weigh criminal convictions considering the job at hand. Since a DUI is not directly relevant to all jobs, most employers can\u2019t ethically disqualify you because of it. Your best bet is to apply for jobs that wouldn\u2019t require you to drive a car or operate a heavy piece of equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One&nbsp;offense&nbsp;that may cause confusion is a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. On the one hand, a DUI is an&nbsp;offense&nbsp;that can only occur while driving. As&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/25\/will-a-dui-show-on-a-criminal-background-check\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westmichiganregional.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}