How New York Employers Can Cut Criminal Background Check Costs - Utilizing Smart Screen™

If you're hiring in New York, you're already familiar with the $98.00 per-applicant cost associated with criminal searches via the New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA).

But what if you didn’t have to run that $98 check on every applicant?

With Smart Screen™, you can pre-screen candidates — particularly those with a New York address history — and instantly determine if they are free of records tied to incarceration or sex offender registry databases.

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Smart Screen™ New York Coverage Details

Smart Screen’s criminal background screening leverages a proprietary incarceration data network and a sex offender registry network. Here’s how it applies specifically to New York:

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⚠️ Note: Court records that do not result in incarceration or registration are not included. These still require OCA checks — but with Smart Screen, you only escalate when it’s truly needed.

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‍1. Incarceration Data Network — New York Inclusion

Smart Screen pulls from:

• 1,900+ County Jails Nationwide
• 30+ State Prison Systems
• ~185 million incarceration records

New York is included via its Department of Corrections and county jail systems. That means it can return incarceration data tied to arrests or convictions that resulted in jail or prison time within New York.

❗ Smart Screen does not cover court records directly — so cases without incarceration or sex offender registration won’t appear. But for candidates who are clearly clean, Smart Screen prevents unnecessary OCA searches.

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2. Sex Offender Registry Network — New York Inclusion

Smart Screen covers over 50 sex offender registries, including:

• New York State Sex Offender Registry
• Local county/parish-level registries where available

This coverage is updated every 15 minutes, and includes registration status for Levels 2 and 3, plus non-compliant offenders where available.

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3. Coverage Scope and Limitations in New York

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Type                                                                        Included in Smart Screen?                                        Details

‍Incarceration data                                                           ✅ Yes                 Covers records from NY jails and state prisons

‍Sex offender registry                                                      ✅ Yes                                  Covers statewide and local registries

‍Court records (non-incarceration/arrest)     ❌ No                                      Requires OCA court record search

‍FCRA-compliant output                                                 ✅ Yes.              “No Records Found”= FCRA consumer reports

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The Math: Massive Cost Savings with Assuming A 10% Hit Rate

Let’s say your company experiences a 10% criminal hit rate (meaning only 1 in 10 applicants have a reportable record in NY).

Here’s what you’d save by pre-screening with Smart Screen before running OCA checks:

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OCA Searches                                                              Savings with Smart Screen (10% Hit Rate)

100                                                                                        $8,820

500                                                                                       $44,100

1,000                                                                                    $88,200

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That’s $88,200 in potential savings for 1,000 applicants — just by changing your first step.

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Fast, Compliant Results at Your Fingertips

Here’s why Smart Screen is a no-brainer for high-volume New York hiring:

• Instant results in seconds for “No Records Found” cases (90%+ of applicants)
• FCRA-compliant: These results qualify as consumer reports for employment use
• Reduces court runner dependency and administrative burden
• Helps eliminate $98 OCA fees on clear candidates
• Saves time: move good candidates forward immediately

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Try Smart Screen™ — No Obligation

Want to see the results for yourself?

We’re offering a no-obligation Smart Screen trial so you can test the savings before committing

Let Smart Screen do the heavy lifting — so you only pay for court research when it’s actually needed.

Contact Us About Smart Screen!

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