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Who's watching the children? : Ex-convicts abound in child care, parents unaware.(California )
The Orange County Register ^ | March 17, 2002 | KIMBERLY KINDY, TONY SAAVEDRA and NATALYA SHULYAKOVSKAYA

Posted on 03/17/2002 9:57:16 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Edited on 04/14/2004 10:05:08 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

More than 630 people with criminal convictions

(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: calgov2002; california; childcare; davis; knife
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Eighteen months ago, Davis vetoed a bill that would have given parents the right to know if caregivers have criminal records. In his veto message, Davis wrote: "While I am supportive of a parent's right to know the history of licensure violations and other pertinent information about a child-care provider, a child-care provider or employee does not automatically lose his or her right to privacy by obtaining a child-care license or employment."

Davis must go!!!

1 posted on 03/17/2002 9:57:16 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: calgov2002;gophack;ron c;ron dog;oc_flyfish;quimby;sabertooth;
calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register



2 posted on 03/17/2002 9:59:11 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
The Department of Social Services – with the support of Gov. Gray Davis – backed child-care operators and fought for criminals' privacy. In a court pleading to keep the backgrounds secret last year, the state wrote: "These carefully prescreened day-care employees, who long ago paid their debt to society, would be unfairly branded as dangerous and untrustworthy criminals."

We are just too stupid to decide for ourselves. Why people might decide they don't want ex-convicts caring for their children, and thats profiling.

3 posted on 03/17/2002 10:23:08 PM PST by quimby
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To: quimby
I think this one could be a juicy campaign issue for Simon!
4 posted on 03/17/2002 10:31:57 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

92 ex-cons among DSHS staff
4,000 background reviews still to do of those who care for the vulnerable

By ANGELA GALLOWAY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

OLYMPIA -- State officials have identified 92 ex-cons who care for the developmentally disabled and other vulnerable Washingtonians, bringing the tally of front-line social-service workers who may lose their jobs because of prior crimes up to 166. The recent review found dozens of convictions for assaults, several sex crimes and one vehicular homicide.

In the Division of Developmental Disabilities, 89 workers -- or about 2.4 percent of those checked -- have serious criminal records that include manslaughter, assault, theft, forgery, arson, prostitution, indecent liberties and drug offenses. "Even one is bad," said Sue Elliott, director of ARC of Washington, an advocacy group for the retarded.

But she said it's about time the state took a good look at who is caring for the vulnerable, particularly in institutions. The state opened its first institution for the mentally retarded in 1915, she said. "Eighty-seven years later, we now think it appropriate," Elliott said. "It's incredibly tragic that it's taken 87 years."

"Most of the general public believes that if someone's in the state's care, that people might be presumed to provide more safety," Elliott said. "And they're not, unfortunately." The latest figures are an update to a report the Department of Social and Health Services released last month. Pursuant to legislation passed last year, DSHS is reviewing the criminal history of more than 13,000 social-service workers who have unsupervised contact with the vulnerable.

No one has been fired yet, said Ken Harden, DSHS assistant secretary for management services, and he knows of no one who has quit. "People have been placed on home assignment or have been put in other jobs where they don't have access to vulnerable adults or children," Harden said. DSHS still must review the background of more than 4,000 workers, many of whom care for abused children and juvenile offenders. Workers with a serious criminal history can appeal to two state boards, or directly to DSHS Secretary Dennis Braddock.

Many convictions on the latest list of reported crimes must still be verified, Harden said. "We have found at least two people that I know of that were totally different people than the people we had information on," Harden said. Once convictions are verified, officials decide whether the crimes warrant job action.

Employees with criminal convictions can quit, be demoted or be transferred into a position without unsupervised contact or can be fired. "We do have some discretion, and we look at it in the totality about that particular individual," Harden said. Nearly all the employees identified have requested a hearing to explain mitigating circumstance around their records, Harden said. The first group of seven hearings was held last week.

The recent checks found, among 89 workers who care for the developmentally disabled, convictions for:

One manslaughter and one vehicular homicide
Two convictions for indecent liberties and one for communication with a minor for immoral purposes
37 assaults and two vehicular assaults
Two convictions of reckless endangerment and five for malicious mischief
Six robberies, five burglaries and 14 thefts
One arson
Two drug offenses
Four prostitution convictions
One forgery

The earlier report found 74 with records among nearly 5,300 employees who cared for elderly, disabled, poor, deaf, mentally ill and addicts, sex offenders and other vulnerable adults.

That review found workers who had been convicted of manslaughter, rape, prostitution, vehicular homicide, burglary and drug offenses. Among mental-hospital workers, those convictions included 57 workers with convictions for murder, rapes, manslaughter, vehicular homicides, robberies, indecent liberties, arson and 30 assaults.

Link to article HERE.

:

5 posted on 03/18/2002 4:54:57 AM PST by ppaul
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To: ppaul;robert357;grampa Dave;Farmfriend;carry_Okie;Gophack;AnnaZ;Aunt Polgara;BADJOE;blackbart1...
Thanks for posting the news from Washington. Think I will ping some others.

This seems to be a rather wide spread problem.

Where does Simon stand on this issue?

6 posted on 03/18/2002 8:26:00 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; Ron Dog
Great find Ernest!

You posted this comment from the criminal protector Herr Davis and his concern about the criminals versus the childrun. Off course if I'm not mistaken, there are no Davis chilrun!

The state historically has tried to keep all criminal information about child-care workers secret.

Eighteen months ago, Davis vetoed a bill that would have given parents the right to know if caregivers have criminal records. In his veto message, Davis wrote: "While I am supportive of a parent's right to know the history of licensure violations and other pertinent information about a child-care provider, a child-care provider or employee does not automatically lose his or her right to privacy by obtaining a child-care license or employment."

Why this does not surprise me. Herr Davis would use all means to protect the predators of the dark side and the criminals of the dark siders. So much for his concern for the Chilrun of Kali!

7 posted on 03/18/2002 8:36:17 AM PST by Grampa Dave
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To: Grampa Dave
Simon should take advantage of this issue!

Would blunt some of the abortion issue crap that Davis will try to throw at Simon!

8 posted on 03/18/2002 8:47:50 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Grampa Dave
I think i will check with my daughter in Las Vegas who is running a childcare center and see what they do in Nevada.!
9 posted on 03/18/2002 8:49:26 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It would be interesting to see if there are differences between Nevada and Davisfornicatia.

We recently hired a new deacon (priest in training). We ran FBI and state of California police checks on him before he was hired.

10 posted on 03/18/2002 8:57:08 AM PST by Grampa Dave
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
One could easily say this is just another case of gross incompetence on the part of Davis and the usual suspects. However, we are talking about Social Services, so in this case it may merely be business as usual!
11 posted on 03/18/2002 9:13:41 AM PST by Gritty
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To: Grampa Dave;gritty;ppaul
Posted today's article detailing the politician's response to this article. It got their attention!!

Child-care audit sought : Officials respond (California )

12 posted on 03/18/2002 10:26:23 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; Gophack
This should be a great political issue for the republicans. This should allow the Republican Gov. candidate to try to get the soccer mom vote. If the Republicans run a smart race, they should be able to take the Gov's office.
13 posted on 03/18/2002 10:36:23 AM PST by Robert357
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To: Robert357
See the politician's quick response in the article linked in post #11. They know the have a problem, but some of the spokespeople are not handling it that well.

See GP's note following the linked article!

14 posted on 03/18/2002 10:46:26 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"...a juicy campaign issue for Simon!"

It just might cut into Davis' voter base among women, that's for sure. Women are simply hysterical on this issue -- so much so, that they have been the driving force behind the overly zealous prosecutions and convictions of Californians like the McMartins and George Franklin. The DA in my county (Contra Costa) brings charges on every last child molestation complaint his office receives. I'm not exaggerating. That's how fearful he is of losing the very liberal votes his Bay Area female constituents cast. This information about Davis approving felons as child care providers should be widely disseminated in the Bay Area!

15 posted on 03/18/2002 2:41:43 PM PST by Bonaparte
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To: Media Queen
Heads up!
16 posted on 03/18/2002 2:45:11 PM PST by Bonaparte
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To: Bonaparte
Yeah, liberals, time-out-of-mind don't much like child molesters. Still, it's a tough situation for them since they are the great advocates of criminal rights and most convicted felons vote for them as a block. One wonders why ...
17 posted on 03/18/2002 7:08:54 PM PST by fire and forget
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To: randita
ping!
18 posted on 03/21/2002 8:30:02 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Link to the Orange County Register's website for a collection of Muck Raking articles on this issue:

Who's watching the children

19 posted on 03/22/2002 2:58:34 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: fire and forget
In Oregon everyone has to go through a criminal check.
20 posted on 03/22/2002 3:57:35 PM PST by Salvation
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