A telephone survey of State government surveys revealed little uniformity in the methods used by the States to conduct criminal history record checks for noncriminal justice purposes. The time required to process information requests also varies significantly from State to State. States have also developed different methods for protecting the privacy interests of the applicant. Most people interviewed expressed a belief that the screening process had a significant deterrent effect. However, no definitive court rulings exist on whether these checks are necessary or reasonable with respect to those who work with children. Congress has recently enacted legislation to mandate criminal record checks for certain individuals working with children in programs on Federally controlled lands or under contract with the Federal Government. A 1986 Federal law relating to a data banks for adverse information on health care professionals also provides a possible model for a system of national character screening for individuals working with children. Appended sample forms and list of State laws and regulations cited in the report