27 ex-cons worked at DSHS

The Spokesman Review ^ | 11-17-02 | Associated Press

[spokanite]

27 ex-cons worked at DSHS Staffers worked with vulnerable children, adults

A background check of state employees who care for vulnerable children and adults revealed 27 people with felony convictions for assault, rape, incest and other crimes.

The Department of Social and Health Services reports that 20 of the employees voluntarily quit when their criminal records were discovered. The remaining seven were transferred to non-caregiving jobs, the Seattle Times reported Saturday.

''I'm relieved we went through the process we needed to,'' said Ken Harden, DSHS assistant secretary. ''Our job here is to protect the citizens of this state. We can't have our employees questionable.''

The Legislature ordered the screening in January.

Agency officials stressed that the number failing background checks was a fraction of the 13,314 employees screened -- a statement that drew criticism from Sen. Val Stevens, an Arlington Republican and member of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee.

''To that person who is being served by a felon, particularly someone with a sex offense to them, I'm sure 27 doesn't matter,'' she said. ''It's the 100 percent effect it would have on them if they were harmed.''

Privacy laws bar the release of employees' names or specific job titles, Harden said, but the agency released summaries of the employees' crimes.

One employee who worked for the DSHS division that includes Child Protective Services had nine convictions, including two for assault. A worker in the agency's welfare division was a registered sex offender, with two convictions for indecent liberties. An employee at a juvenile-corrections institution had convictions for incest and rape of a child.

Under a deal DSHS negotiated with its two major unions, employees with serious criminal histories may appeal to a board of senior managers at the agency.

That board heard appeals from 201 employees after initial checks for more than 100 crimes, verified complaints with Child Protective Services, or revocation of a professional license by the Department of Health. Twenty-seven lost their appeals.

Several employees who appealed proved that their crimes were committed by someone else with an identical name. Others were allowed to keep their current jobs by showing their convictions were decades old and were not such serious offenses that they cannot be trusted.

''Our main interest was to make sure people got a fair shake,'' said Duwane Huffaker, president of the Washington Federation of State Employees, who attended several of the appeals. ''We're concerned about someone who, to put it in simple terms, had their young and stupid days, but are now productive citizens.''

People who apply for state jobs are required to fill out a Department of Personnel form that asks: ''Have you been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony within the past 10 years that might unfavorably affect your fitness for this job?''

Dorothy Gerard, assistant secretary of the personnel department, said those involved in hiring state workers have debated whether the question is effective, but have decided to stick with it.

According to Harden, the broadness of the question made it impossible to prove any employee lied, which could lead them to lose their jobs.

[spokanite]

Typical government incompetance.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[friendly]

I would bet my bottom dollar that the jail birds were all registered democrats... and voted... and worked as "friendly poll watchers" to encourage the DNC plantation slaves to "vote" as they are told... often... even if deceased... paying out cash for votes... with the "walking around" money raised by the Clintons and Terry McAwful from the ChiCom military and the trial lawyers... etc, etc, ad nauseum.

[Crowcreek]

There is NOTHING in this story that surprises me . . .

These people all live on a different planet.

[Grampa Dave]

Easy now, these felons were hired for the Chilrun!

We had the same thing happening in Kalifornicator. Davis and the Politically Correct Rats had blocked day care centers and similiar organizations from doing background checks on their job applicants. It came during the election,and Davis backed down.

Nothing is too good for our ex felons! Hire an ex felon for the Chilrun, a new rat mantra!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It came during the election,and Davis backed down.

Davis really jumped on that, and the issue really never came up in the campaign.

[Grampa Dave]

What I meant was that Davis backed down on supporting the non background checks of those who attend children.

Shortly after you brought this issue up on free republic. The background check policy was reinstated. I wonder where it is now?

[dark_lord]

This does raise an interesting question, however. What jobs should be open to felons? Because either they have paid their debt to society and have a 2nd chance, or they should never be trusted again - in which case it would be cheaper just to execute everyone immediately upon conviction of any felony. (Exaggeration, yes - but we don't want them collecting welfare if we decide they can't have jobs.)

What do you think?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Right, I thought the way the O C Register started after the issue they were really going to go after it, but after Davis took action they got rather quiet on the subject.

[Teacher317]

Nothing is too good for our ex felons! Hire an ex felon for the Chilrun, a new rat mantra!

Shouldn't that be, "Hire an ex felon, f' the Chilrun"? They will shout from the rooftops for forgiveness, humanity, and decency any time a felon is sentenced to death... yet they yell just as loud from those same rooftops for the right to kill an unborn child.

[Grampa Dave]

I yield to the teacher re "Hire an ex felon, f' the Chilrun"!

This type of Rat Political Correctness Behavior is one of the many reasons the rats are in trouble. They have been aborting their babies for 3-4 decades. They have been making human sacrifices of the non aborted babies to felons and the sexual predators, the felons and sexual predators (heterosexual and homosexual) are loved, glorified and protected by the rats over their chilrun. They have pushed the life style of drugs and anything goes which leads to early death for those who fall for this scam.

You as a teacher know how they have dumbed down the children not aborted or made into human sacrifices..Their children have no skills or abilities to make a living after years of liberal schooling.

So they have killed, sacrificied and dumbed down their children for decades. They have destroyed their own gene pools and any future. They are a dumbed down and decreasing minority due to their own Political Correct life style choices.

[WaterDragon]

I remember reading, in the late seventies or the early eighties, about an outstanding sex offender program in Washington State. Seems the director was a convicted offender who "successfully" completed treatment and developed an "excellent" treatment program for the state.

Until the State discovered the man had never stopped molesting children and used his position to get access to children!

[GOPJ]

I fear this is being done in after school programs. It's not incompetence. It's a twofer. The nonprofit gets credit for finding a job for a criminal, and fills a slot at an after school nonprofit center. This is how nonprofits get funding ( read: your tax dollars).

FOX News needs to look at this - or a group that's honest, well... FOX News it is.

"Typical government incompetence."