Some weeks ago, a friend shared how she discovered a convicted sex and violence offender was living a few doors down the road from her home. Someone had left a 'INDIANA SEX & VIOLENT OFFENDER REGISTRY' in her newspaper box and that was how she discovered that a convicted sex offender was one of her neighbors.
I think if we are concerned about whether or not there are convicted child molesters and other convicted felons living in our neighborhood there are free resources like the online Offender Search database of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department website that we can look up.
But if you are an employer or a landlord and wants to do a Background Check or a Criminal Check of your potential employee or tenant, a sheriff's department Offender Search database is not going to be enough. You want a company or a service that can provide a comprehensive criminal check showing felonies, misdemeanors, sex offenses and more at the state and county levels. For such a comprehensive service there is usually a fee involved, but the information you get regarding your potential employee or tenant is worth the fee you pay.
As a parent, I appreciate the fact that the people my children are in contact with, like those at their school and my church, have each gone through a thorough Criminal Background Check. As a parent I cannot be too careful about whether or not the adults that they are exposed to have a criminal history.
It has been a while since I looked at the sex offender registry for the county I live in and I think it is time that I look it up again!
As I understand it most new sex offenses are committed by persons without criminal records. The registry is an aid but not a guarantee. We must remain diligent in the protection of our children. Even if a teacher has a criminal background check that means nothing. I must teach my child to identify improper behaviors and be proactive to anything improper. I understand that the greatest threat to my child is not the persons she is not exposed to, but those closest to her. I do my best to concentrate most of my efforts in maintaining open communications with her. She is her own best defense and it is my responsibility to educate her and that includes warning her of behaviors not just anonymous faces.
ReplyDeleteMost sex offenses occur between persons that know each other. How often do we read about sexual offenses perpetrated by a teacher that passed a criminal background check, or a minister or even a family member? If we're not careful, the registry can easily give us a sense of false security.