Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Background check Screening of Prospective Members

[Elizabeth Magill (pastorlizm]

What do people want to do with the information they would learn?
Even if it is accurate, how is it valuable?

I'd suggest that this will create a false sense of safety. With regard
to sexual offenders, the most dangerous people are family members who
have not yet been caught.

It is true that stranger rapists have a high rate of repeat offenses,
but you can find out who they are by checking the sex offender
registry. Even on the registry, very few are stranger rapists.

When someone suggests that they don't want to live near those people,
you might wonder where they *should* live. Check out how many live at
the local homeless shelter, and perhaps wonder if denying access to
housing and jobs from people makes anyone safer.

-Liz
(The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
www.elizabethmaemagill.com
508-450-0431

On Fri, Feb 25, 2022 at 10:59 AM Jim Bronson
<jimbronsonashland [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks to others on this listserv for reflecting on their financial
> screening approach.  A similar, currently hot topic for us at River Song is
> screening for behavior history, so-called background checks.  We probably
> all have encountered the numerous websites that promise to find your person
> of interest, investigate their interactions with the law and government,
> and give you a report of their misdeeds, including arrests, convictions,
> fines, etc.  At RSC we wonder if these sites are accurate, and whether it
> is ethical and appropriate to use them to screen for prospective members.
>
> For reference, here is a link to a Seattle Weekly article that suggests 8
> sites they have investigated.
>
> https://www.seattleweekly.com/marketplace/top-8-background-checks-sites-to-search-criminal-records-social-media-accounts-educational-history-and-more/
>
> There are many more back-ground check sites advertising through Google
> which will pop up when you enter a name search.  I would love to hear from
> cohousing membership team folks about this topic.  Thanks.  Jim Bronson -
> River Song Cohousing, Eugene, OR
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