CURRENT ISSUE:  October 8, 2007
VOL. 45, NO. 17   •   Oakland, CA

Diocese to fingerprint volunteers with access to children and teens

By Jacqueline Gilvard Landry
Voice correspondent

The Diocese of Oakland has made a far-reaching policy change that will bolster its protections against child predators. Starting this month, the diocese will begin fingerprinting volunteers with access to children.

Teachers in the diocese have been fingerprinted since 1988, and remaining employees began fingerprinting three years ago. But until now, volunteers have been screened solely by checking their names against the Megan’s Law registered sex offender database.

Volunteers sought The Safe Environment Project is seeking volunteers to perform Live Scan fingerprint screenings. Screeners must be age 25 or older and must pass a Live Scan background check. They will complete two full-day training sessions and must commit to 12 screening hours per month for the next year. Applicants must provide at least two references, including one from a parish staff member, and should have regular access to the Internet. Screeners need excellent communication and organizational skills, and should be able to think on their feet. They must maintain confidentiality and be able to appropriately answer questions dealing with issues related to the diocesan Safe Environment Project. If you are interested in being a Live Scan volunteer, contact Safe Environment Project Coordinator Nancy Libby at 510-267-8315 or nlibby@oakdiocese.org.

That screening is no longer enough, said Nancy Libby, coordinator of the diocesan Safe Environment Project, so diocesan officials decided to add broad categories of volunteers to the fingerprinting requirements of its screening policy.

Libby said the diocese wants to ensure that volunteers — just like employees — are “the type of people who ought to be around children in our schools and parishes.”

“The Safe Environment Project is continually evaluated to make sure we are doing all possible to keep kids safe,” she said. “‘Live Scan’ fingerprinting assists in our efforts.”

Libby said the policy change was approved by the Bishop’s Administrative Council and the Presbyteral Council. It reflects the limitations of the Megan’s Law database. Although Megan’s Law requires convicted sex offenders to register with a local law enforcement agency, not all of them comply.

The diocese also took its cue from other California dioceses that are fingerprinting volunteers, Libby said.
Relying solely on the Megan’s Law database may give schools and parishes a false sense of security that they are taking the necessary measures in screening volunteers, Libby indicated.

“Vigilant supervision is essential in this safety process,” she said.

The diocese is highly invested in its stepped-up vigilance. It recently bought two Live Scan fingerprinting machines at a cost of $30,000. The machines record fingerprints electronically, Libby said.

The machines will be brought to school and parish sites. Trained volunteers will operate the machines, she said.

The fingerprints will be uploaded to a computer and furnished to the California Department of Justice and the FBI. Those agencies will provide the diocese with a background check of each fingerprinted volunteer, allowing it to screen for anyone having a criminal conviction.

A person whose record reveals a conviction of any sexual offense is automatically prohibited from volunteering, Libby said, as dictated by the diocese’s Safe Environment Registered Sex Offender Policy.

Non-sexual convictions will be reviewed case-by-case, considering the type of offense and the volunteer opportunity sought, the policy states.

Going forward, the agencies also will give the diocese “subsequent arrest notifications”—not just convictions—for each volunteer, Libby said.

“Depending upon what they are arrested for, we may then prohibit them from volunteering until it is all cleared up,” she said.

The notifications ensure that employees and volunteers maintain a clean record, Libby said, and relieve the diocese of the heavy burden of performing repeated manual Megan’s Law screenings of every volunteer.

Libby stressed that all Live Scan data, which will be centralized and maintained by the diocese, will be kept confidential and used only for screening purposes.

“We want to reassure our volunteers that we are not attempting to look at everyone as a criminal,” she said. “We simply must make every effort to keep our young people safe.”

The Megan’s Law Web site is public, and requires no permission before checking a name, Libby said. The site is therefore a good tool for parents, schools and parishes who want to see whether registered sex offenders are in their community, she indicated.

She warned, however, that Megan’s Law itself prohibits use of information appearing on the site, except to “protect a person at risk.” Libby suggested that anyone who identifies a convicted sex offender “use the information wisely and within the parameters of the law.”

“The kids’ safety is absolutely paramount, but we also take the confidentiality of the information on the Megan’s Law Web site seriously,” she said.

Confidentiality, however, does not override the diocese’s obligations under its Registered Sex Offender Policy.

Libby said a person identified as a convicted sex offender will be privately contacted in person and in writing, and told that he or she is barred from volunteering.

The individual also is banned from all school or parish grounds, as well as parish- and school-sponsored events, she said. Exceptions are made for those who wish to receive sacraments at parish Masses or privately.

Libby said a one-time exception also might be granted for attending such events as a family member’s graduation or first Communion.

The policy is strict, but “we can’t let go of our responsibility to supervise the young people in our care,” Libby said.

The added responsibility is a large one. The expanded screening requirements will affect thousands of volunteers over four years, Libby said.

Those affected by the policy are unpaid volunteers who act in the capacity of usually-paid positions having regular access to minors—such as faith formation directors, youth ministers and Confirmation coordinators—as well as volunteers with regular, unsupervised access to minors, and volunteers who chaperone minors at offsite or overnight activities.

Libby said two parishes will pilot the Live Scan fingerprinting in October and November, and other parishes will follow in January 2008.

Fingerprinting will begin with catechists and chaperones taking youth on overnight field trips and retreats, Libby said. Remaining volunteers will be fingerprinted over the next three years.

Will volunteers take offense to the new fingerprinting requirement?

Libby said she does not know what reaction to anticipate, but hopes logistics will help. “They don’t have to go to the police department or be inconvenienced,” and they only need to be fingerprinted one time, she said.

“The diocese wants to make this as easy as possible for volunteers who are already giving so generously of their time,” she said.

She believes most volunteers will be understanding. “We’re protecting children…and we all want that,” said Libby.

Parishes will receive more information in mid-October about Live Scan, Libby said.

The registered sex offender database is found at http://meganslaw.ca.gov.

Next Front Page Article

back to top

home