Don't Wait Until It's Too Late to Run Background Checks
Jeremy Semprebon, a registered sex offender, was arrested on August 14, 2008 on five counts of "Prohibition from Child Care Services of Persons Convicted of Certain Offenses," which are all felony charges.
Semprebon was working for a non-profit agency in New Hampshire called AIDS Response Seacoast where he was working as an education coordinator. Police say that he had access to minors at least two times this past spring as part of his job and he failed to let the agency know of his prior conviction; Semprebon was found guilty of aggravated rape against a 5-year old child in 1995.
New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services is now reviewing its contract policies after learning of this incident. Three-fourths of Semprebon's salary was paid by a grant issued to AIDS Response Seacoast through the DHHS. Because his job description was to educate adults about AIDS and HIV prevention, no background check was required.
Director of Public Health, Dr. Jose Montero, has stated, "We are reviewing the policy and trying to have a fair policy, but the fact that someone has something in their background doesn't mean they shouldn't have a job."
As a result of the Semprebon incident, DHHS is now considering running background checks on applicants to reveal crimes or offenses applicable to the specific positions. Furthermore, AIDS Response Seacoast is now conducting background checks and has made their hiring practices stricter.
Police were able to identity Semprebon as a registered sex offender because of the business card he carried. However, that business card was not approved, nor issued by AIDS Response Seacoast.
Finally, AIDS Response Seacoast's reputation is now in danger as it has been alleged that the agency discovered Semprebon's sex offender status last fall, but did not tell its partners. Authorities do not know how many other non-profit agencies Semprebon had contact with, but they do know he worked with the Feminist Health Center in Greenland, New Hampshire.
Thankfully, it does not appear that any harm came to anyone connected with Semprebon. On the other hand, one quick, low cost background check could have saved a non-profit organization from negative publicity and a loss of reputation.
Semprebon's sex offender status can be found here.
Semprebon was working for a non-profit agency in New Hampshire called AIDS Response Seacoast where he was working as an education coordinator. Police say that he had access to minors at least two times this past spring as part of his job and he failed to let the agency know of his prior conviction; Semprebon was found guilty of aggravated rape against a 5-year old child in 1995.
New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services is now reviewing its contract policies after learning of this incident. Three-fourths of Semprebon's salary was paid by a grant issued to AIDS Response Seacoast through the DHHS. Because his job description was to educate adults about AIDS and HIV prevention, no background check was required.
Director of Public Health, Dr. Jose Montero, has stated, "We are reviewing the policy and trying to have a fair policy, but the fact that someone has something in their background doesn't mean they shouldn't have a job."
As a result of the Semprebon incident, DHHS is now considering running background checks on applicants to reveal crimes or offenses applicable to the specific positions. Furthermore, AIDS Response Seacoast is now conducting background checks and has made their hiring practices stricter.
Police were able to identity Semprebon as a registered sex offender because of the business card he carried. However, that business card was not approved, nor issued by AIDS Response Seacoast.
Finally, AIDS Response Seacoast's reputation is now in danger as it has been alleged that the agency discovered Semprebon's sex offender status last fall, but did not tell its partners. Authorities do not know how many other non-profit agencies Semprebon had contact with, but they do know he worked with the Feminist Health Center in Greenland, New Hampshire.
Thankfully, it does not appear that any harm came to anyone connected with Semprebon. On the other hand, one quick, low cost background check could have saved a non-profit organization from negative publicity and a loss of reputation.
Semprebon's sex offender status can be found here.
Labels: background checks, employee background checks, non-profit, sex offender
posted by JenWiehl at 8:50 AM
8 Comments:
Normally, I might say that this person was trying to give back to the community as part of his "new life" but....aggravated rape of a five year old? Why is this jerk still loose on the streets? He needs to be put on the Lost island.
I am a strong believer that anyone who works around or with minors whether it is counseling, teaching, child care, etc., should undergo a thorough background check. That goes for employees of nursing homes and group homes as well. A background check is such an easy thing to do but the consequences of not conducting one can be huge!
it is good that no one was hurt in this incident, but hopefully this non profit and others will learn from this mistake, and start running background checks on everyone.
I am very glad to hear that no children were harmed by this man. I think the organization itself has learned a valuable lesson here. I also feel that this should be a wake up call to all organization that educate, counsel or watch over children. Everyone who comes in contact with them should have a background check done on them.
I agree, if they would have done their homework, they'd still have a good reputation. Not running a background check hurt a company's reputaion and hurts their business.
I think the Director of Public Health made a good point when he noted that a criminal background shouldn't by its very nature prevent someone from getting a job. I agree.
That said...couldn't an organization like this, *after conducting a background check*, have found a suitable role for this person that did not involve contact, supervised or otherwise, with children?
I agree with Maggie. This is a glitch in our judicial system that a person who raped a child can still roam free and get a job. This is an issue that extends beyond an obligation to background check.
It's terrible when companies say "the job doesn't involve interaction with children" when the employee has clear opportunities to interact with children. No, it may not be in his job description, but that doesn't decrease the opportunity to commit a crime against one of these kids. If your employee has any contact with kids, they need a very thorough background check. Every single time.
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