This is an article I found in a Michigan paper:
"An effort to set up a statewide registry of convicted child abusers under “Wyatt’s Law” has garnered an avalanche of support but won’t be approved quickly. St. Clair Shores resident Eric Hammel’s online petition to set up the network in the name of her abused son, Wyatt Rewoldt, 2, has drawn 13,000-plus supporters and the backing of many officials in three months.
A registry, similar to the Sex Offender Registry, could have alerted Hammel to the fact that her son was under the care of a convicted child abuser, Rachel Edwards, who will be sentenced Thursday for abusing Wyatt. Edward, 32, faces a prison term at her sentencing after pleading no contest in January to second-degree child abuse.
Edwards was convicted of third-degree child abuse, a felony, in 2011 and was convicted of fourth-degree child abuse on the same child, the 5-year-old son of her former boyfriend, in October 2013.
Currently, the state Department of Human Services operates the Central Registry, which includes those who have been determined to have a confirmed case of child abuse by Child Protective Services. Employers can check if someone is on the registry but must have the subject’s permission to check, and DHS can only inform the employer if the person is not on the list. If the person is on the list, the DHS informs the inquirer that it cannot comment, said Bob Wheaton, DHS spokesman."
Anyone want to weigh in on this? Someone who has been convicted on a child abuse misdemeanor or felony would have to register. I think it's a no-brainer that there should be a registry like they are suggesting but I may be just reacting. Can anyone think of the down side of such a registry? Obviously we don't want it to be like the tier system in Ohio that seems to be inconsistent in it's application.
I fail to understand why there is not a public registry that everyone can have access to. Ohio has a registry on child abuse and neglect, but if you look at the website (http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocf/CentralRegistry1.stm) it says that "Central Registry information can only be released to: (1) the subject of the information, (2) an agency processing foster/adoption applications or (3) a CSA investigating a report of child abuse and/or neglect."
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, in Ohio when it comes to the disability population there is a public registry (http://dodd.ohio.gov/healthandsafety/Pages/Abuser-Registry.aspx) for anyone to look at with information on abusers who have "committed acts of abuse, neglect, misappropriation, failure to report, and/or prohibited sexual relations." If the disability population is looked at as a population who is vulnerable and in need of this type of registry, then it would make perfect sense to have this type of registry for children because they are a vulnerable population as well.
I agree that there should be a registry, because I think parents, families, employers, and whoever should have the right to know who they could potentially be dealing with. Even though I believe there should be a registry, I think some might say that the down side of having a registry is that some children might qualify as being a child abuser. So, would those children be on the registry? Would those children have "child abuser" hanging over their head for the rest of their life?
ReplyDeleteI could see this a potentially negative. Through everything I have learned so far, child maltreatment is related to family circumstances like poverty, poor education, generational abuse, stress and many others. If employers and such could use this registry when hiring, that could limit the jobs available to these parents living in poverty and just perpetuate the cycle. Unfortunately, many children remain in their home or return home and instead of giving them a harder time to fix things we need to help them break the cycle. If this registry would be used for jobs related to children (teachers, childcare, licensing in-home childcare, etc), I would absolutely agree. However, I think it would not assist the parents that are working through crises and trying to build and strengthen their skills as a parent.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that parents/guardians etc. have the right to know who is taking care of their child, I think this comes with some gray area as well. Just as we have sex offender registries that we are able to see who is registered in our neighborhoods, this registry would be beneficial to parents also. I would however consider the quality of the establishment I am considering sending my child to if they have hired someone with a criminal history/background. I personally just would not send my child there and risk anything. The gray side of this situation is similar to the sex offender registry;there are many factors to consider. i.e. A teen may be registered because he/she was sexting. That does not mean they are harming any children. I think that label could really hurt a person who is seeking a job and is not in fact a threat to society. All that being said, I don't think this would pass anytime soon because of the lack of clear qualifications and ambiguity in such charges.
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