23 more state workers' jobs at risk for past crimes

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | May 22, 2002 | ANGELA GALLOWAY

[ValerieUSA]

The state has identified 23 additional social service workers -- mostly people working with children -- who may be fired for their criminal pasts.

Combined with previous findings, that brings to 64 the number of workers who may face termination from the state Department of Social and Health Services. Seven have resigned before being fired.

That doesn't include 133 employees whom DSHS previously reported as having criminal histories but who were allowed to keep their jobs.

The latest 23 -- whose crimes include violent and sexual offenses -- were identified in a review of the criminal histories of 4,347 front-line workers. They include:

Twelve workers in juvenile rehabilitation. Background checks turned up convictions for child rape, child molestation, incest, robbery, assault, burglary and drug crimes.

Seven employees of Children's Administration, which serves abused and neglected young people. They had been convicted of such charges as indecent liberties, manslaughter, assault, malicious mischief, theft and drug crimes.

Four workers for the lands and buildings division. They had convictions for assault, robbery and malicious mischief.

DSHS will not release the names of the workers, pending appeals.

The latest numbers reflect the third phase of background checks that the Legislature required. That means checking the records of nearly 13,400 workers who have unsupervised contact with clients of DSHS, including the elderly, mentally ill and developmentally disabled.
Any workers with disqualifying crimes might be fired or transferred into positions without direct contact with vulnerable clients. At the state's discretion, many have been allowed to keep their jobs.

Initially, DSHS reported 204 workers with potentially disqualifying records.
Of the 204, seven left DSHS. The rest have requested a chance to explain mitigating circumstances to state officials. Their explanations range from mistaken identities to arguing that 20-year-old drug convictions are irrelevant.
"A lot of the people have got histories on crimes that they had done some time ago," said Dennis Braddock, secretary of DSHS. "We wanted to review their situations."

The results so far have been overwhelmingly in favor of the workers. Of the 153 who have had their cases reviewed, 133 have been allowed to stay in their jobs.
A DSHS review team ruled that the remaining 20 could not stay in their positions. Four left voluntarily, and 16 are awaiting decisions. They could be fired or reassigned.

DSHS has 40 background checks still to run -- all on employees of Western State Hospital.
Because they work near vulnerable clients, DSHS included all workers in state institutions in the reviews, including janitors and cooks.

Among the 71 who face resignation or termination, 10 have records of sex crimes. The bulk of the crimes previously reported were committed by people who work in large state institutions. They include:

21 workers in the Mental Health Division. Their crimes include murder, manslaughter, rape, indecent exposure, assault and vehicular homicide.

16 employees of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Their crimes include child molestation, indecent liberties, assault and vehicular assault.

[ValerieUSA]

We've heard the expression, "The inmates are running the asylum!"

[KC_Conspirator]

So they have 12 pedophiles working in government jobs where they could have access to more child victims? By all accounts, this might be higher than the church, so why is the media not pursuing this. (I already know the answer)

[ValerieUSA]

Washington bump