Negative Information in A Criminal Records Check

As an employer what if you have an applicant who upon doing a pre-employment screening you discover negative information in their criminal records check?
As a company you should have clear policies in place before the search for employees even begins. These policies should be rigid and consistent from applicant to applicant to avoid any claims of discrimination.
If you find an applicant during your pre-employment screening that has a criminal record in some cases there are laws, which will help you, determine whether or not you can hire a particular applicant. Some states have laws, which will not allow some individuals with certain crimes to have certain occupations. For example sexual offenders are not allowed to work around children. But for other cases this will be based on your company policy.