It has been a tumultuous few weeks on college campuses across the U.S., with over 2,000 arrests as authorities nationwide crackdown on protesters. And that’s just protest-related arrests. On average, more than twenty thousand students are arrested in and around college campuses annually for a variety of other offenses.

The charges

Most arrests associated with the recent protests resulted in criminal trespass and/or disorderly conduct charges, which are typically misdemeanors. However, some were charged with burglary, obstructing governmental administration, assault, resisting arrest, or weapon possession – charges that are considered felonies in most states.

The potential consequences

Criminal record searches are an essential part of a background investigation, which are routinely performed prior to hiring and on key employees as part of other business deals.

While it is currently unclear whether local District Attorneys will prosecute all protesters who were arrested, a criminal record can undoubtedly cast a shadow over future career prospects:

• In the short term, students who were arrested may face disciplinary action, suspension, or even expulsion from their academic institutions. Graduation plans may be derailed and summer internships or job offers upon graduation may be rescinded.
• In the long term, having a public criminal record may hurt these students’ chances of entering the job market. Many employers conduct background checks as part of their hiring process, and a criminal record might lead to disqualification from certain job opportunities.  

The big picture

Specialist business intelligence and investigative firms not only uncover the existence of criminal records – which may be the only thing an automated solution identifies – they also provide context to those criminal records through deeper media and court research. This additional context – often missed by fully-automated background check solutions – gives employers added information with which to make hiring decisions.   

The bottom line

When organizations are considering a new hire, an investment opportunity, a new partnership, or other key business opportunities, Gryphon is the trusted partner that provides them with the deep, actionable intelligence they need to assess and appropriately size risk, and make confident, fully-informed decisions.