这是一个越来越熟悉的故事：从学校到营地，以及其他地方，公司和组织都要求对职责涉及与儿童一起工作的员工、承包商或志愿者进行背景调查。批准此类要求的最新实体是密歇根州戴维森镇的公园和娱乐部门。
在戴维森镇理事会最近的一次会议上，公园和娱乐部提议对当地公园和设施的所有志愿者和工作人员进行犯罪背景调查。董事会批准了这项措施，这意味着在戴维森镇的公园和娱乐设施中与儿童一起工作的任何人都必须先完成背景调查。据报道，新背景调查的提议是受到附近其他乡镇已经对公园和娱乐人员进行背景调查这一事实的启发。
董事会会议上的普遍感觉是，如果有人要与儿童一起工作，他们应该接受彻底的背景审查。根据当地报纸和出版物戴维森指数 (Davison Index) 的一份报告，一位受托人甚至说：“如果您在这么多年之后没有从记录中删除重罪，那是因为您有多次定罪。 ” 受托人继续说，任何有犯罪背景的人都不应该以专业或志愿者的身份与儿童一起工作。
受托人并没有错，对于已经向社会偿还债务并希望能够在工作申请中没有犯罪记录的前罪犯来说，清除是一个不错的选择。但是，法官通常只会批准对某些罪行进行删除，而且通常只有在经过一段时间后才会批准。
当然，有一种论点是，任何人的罪行无法消除的人都应该远离会使该人与儿童密切接触的职位。通常，各州不会清除暴力或性相关犯罪以及涉及儿童的犯罪。然而，暗示任何有任何犯罪记录的人都应该删除它或不与孩子一起工作，这也可以说是一种歧视性的还原。更多的轻微犯罪，如小偷小摸、一次性持有毒品指控或其他轻罪，并不一定意味着应该禁止个人从事任何工作——即使是涉及与儿童一起工作的工作。
Davison Township 对 Parks and Rec 工作人员和将与儿童一起工作的志愿者进行背景调查当然是正确的。太糟糕了，关于新政策的讨论似乎暗示对任何有犯罪历史的人都拒绝接受这些工作，而不是尽职调查筛选和逐案考虑。
At a recent meeting of the Davison Township Board of Trustees, the Parks and Recreation Department proposed that criminal background checks be a requirement for all volunteers and staff members at local parks and facilities. The board approved the measure, which means that anyone working with children at a Parks and Rec facility in Davison Township will be required, going forward, to complete a background check first. Reportedly, the proposal for the new background checks was inspired by the fact that other nearby townships already have background checks in place for Parks and Recreation personnel.
The general feeling in the Board of Trustees meeting was that, if someone is going to be working with children, they should be subject to a thorough background screening. According to a report from the Davison Index, a local newspaper, and publication, one trustee went as far as to say that "if you haven't gotten a felony expunged from your record after so many years, it's because you have multiple convictions." The trustee went on to say that anyone with a criminal background should not be working with children in either a professional or volunteer capacity.
The trustee isn't wrong that an expungement is a good option for ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society and want to be able to claim no criminal record on job applications. However, judges will usually only approve expungement for certain offenses, and usually only after a certain period has elapsed.
Of course, there is an argument to be made that anyone whose crimes cannot be expunged should be kept away from positions that would put that person in close contact with children. Typically, states won't expunge violent or sexually-related crimes, as well as crimes involving children. To imply that anyone with any sort of criminal record should either expunge it or not work with kids, though, is also arguably reductive in a discriminatory fashion. More minor crimes like petty theft, one-time drug possession charges, or other misdemeanors don't necessarily mean an individual should be barred from working any job—even one that involves working with children.
Davison Township is certainly right to run background checks on Parks and Rec staff and volunteers who will be working with children. It's just too bad that the discussion about the new policy seems to imply a blanket denial of those jobs to anyone with a criminal history, rather than due diligence screening and case-by-case consideration.
