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National Reentry Resource Center Newsletter
November 29, 2012
FTC Fines Background Screening Company $2.6M for Handling of Criminal Records
In August, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a civil penalty of $2.6 million on HireRight Solutions, a background screening company, for allegedly violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in regards to criminal records. A landmark case, the United States v. HireRight Solutions, Inc. marks the first time that the FTC has fined a background screening company in a FCRA case; it also resulted in the second-largest civil penalty that the consumer protection agency has ever imposed under FCRA. The FTC, a member of the Federal Interagency Council, underscored its decision on September 13th, when Robert Schoshinski of the FTC testified before the House and stated that enforcing FCRA remains a top priority for the agency.
Originally passed in 1970, FCRA regulates the collection and use of sensitive consumer information, including criminal records. According to the FTC's charges, HireRight Solutions allegedly violated FCRA by failing to ensure that the reports it provided to employers included up-to-date and accurate information on individuals' criminal histories. Specific examples of the alleged mishandling of records include providing employers with expunged criminal records and reports incorrectly matched to individuals being considered for employment.
According to Anthony Rodriguez, a staff attorney at the FTC's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, HireRight Solutions repeatedly matched people with different middle names, dates of birth, or genders—obviously erroneous information that should have been caught had proper procedures been in place.
The FTC also alleged that HireRight Solutions did not adequately allow individuals to access their own records and dispute any inaccuracies, which are consumer rights under FCRA. Rodriguez states that unnecessary hurdles—such as requiring that individuals acquire a copy of their own consumer report before filing a complaint—were put in place for people wanting to dispute their records, delaying and making more difficult the process of correcting erroneous reports. Furthermore, allegedly HireRight Solutions did not properly investigate complaints or notify individuals when investigations into their records were closed.
While it did not cite specific instances, the FTC determined that the improper procedures at HireRight Solutions led to individuals being denied employment or employment-related benefits. "In this economy, when it is difficult for people to find jobs, people whose records were being reported by HireRight had an even more difficult time," says Rodriguez.
To continue reading this feature, click here.
U.S. Department of Justice Announces New Second Chance Act Awards
On October 1, 2012, United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department awarded $58.5 million to 98 Second Chance Act grantees around the country. Second Chance Act grants, which are administered by the department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP), support comprehensive strategies that address the challenges faced by adults and youth following release from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. Since 2009, when the first Second Chance Act grants were announced, nearly 500 grant awards have been made.
Of the $58.5 million awarded in 2012, more than $47 million will go to 94 state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations to fund interventions and support services that improve outcomes for formerly incarcerated adults and youth returning to their communities. In 2012, funding was awarded in the following grant categories:
- Demonstration grants provide funding to state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes to plan and implement comprehensive strategies that address the challenges faced by adults and youth returning from confinement. In 2012, OJP's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded eight planning grants and eleven implementation grants that will serve adults returning from prison and jail, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded four implementation grants that will serve juveniles returning from out-of-home placement. Click here for a list of BJA planning grantees, and here for a list of BJA implementation grantees. Click here for a list of OJJDP implementation grantees.
- Mentoring grants support nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Indian tribes that provide mentoring, case management, and other transitional services. In 2012, BJA awarded mentoring grants to ten organizations, five of which will work specifically with parents of minor children to strengthen family relationships. Click here for a list of mentoring grantees.
- Co-occurring disorder treatment grants provide funding to state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes to implement or expand integrated treatment programs for individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. In 2012, BJA awarded nine co-occurring treatment grants. Click here for a list of co-occurring treatment grantees.
- Family-based substance abuse treatment grants support state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes in establishing or enhancing family-based residential substance abuse treatment programs in correctional facilities that include recovery and family supportive services. In 2012, BJA awarded five family-based treatment grants. Click here for a list of family-based treatment grantees.
- Technology career training grants help state and local government agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes to establish programs to train individuals in prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities for technology-based jobs and careers during the three-year period before their release. In 2012, BJA awarded five technology career training grants. Click here for a list of technology career training grantees.
To continue reading about the new Second Chance Act grantees, click here.
MacArthur Foundation Releases Briefs about Youth Mental Health
The MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change initiative—a multi-state juvenile justice initiative seeking to accelerate movement toward a more effective, fair, and developmentally sound juvenile justice system—recently released three reports that focus on youth mental health. The reports are a part of the foundation's Knowledge Brief Series, which publishes reports about new innovations that have emerged from the Models for Change initiative.
- Knowledge Brief: Mental Health Services in Juvenile Justice: Who pays? What gets paid for? And who gets to decide?
This brief provides an overview of how public financing for mental health services for youth in the juvenile justice system has evolved during recent years. Specialized financing programs, which fund these specific services, have been steadily replaced by broad-based insurance programs, such as Medicaid and CHIP, which provide coverage for diverse health services. The brief also explores the opportunities and challenges this shift presents for mental health and social service providers, juvenile justice practitioners, and others who may have a seat at the policymaking table. - Knowledge Brief: Does Mental Health Screening Fulfill Its Promise?
As many as two-thirds of youths in pre-trial detention exhibit behaviors serious enough to qualify them for a mental disorder. Under the stress of detention, these youth can act out in ways that are harmful to themselves, to other youths around them, and to detention center staff. In this study, researchers looked at whether staff would use a newly implemented validated screening procedure (MAYSI-2), and if they did, would it help staff connect youth to the service they need. The findings presented in this brief indicate that in most cases staff did use the new screening and that it did help them connect youth in crisis to the services they needed. - Knowledge Brief: How Can We Know If Juvenile Justice Reforms Are Worth The Cost?
This policy brief summarizes the benefit-cost analysis of a set of reforms intended to make juvenile detention more developmentally productive: residential centers that provide youth with group-based cognitive behavior therapy. The researchers found preliminary evidence that this program may decrease recidivism rates in the 15 months following release, and that the minimal costs of the program (a few hundred dollars per youth per detention spell) may be outweighed by the monetized benefits of reduced crime and punishment.
For a copy of any of the briefs in the Knowledge Brief Series, please visit Models for Change website at: http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/listing.html
Registration Now OPEN for Georgetown Conference on At-Risk Children and Youth
Georgetown University, the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI), and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the inaugural Georgetown Public Policy Institute LEAD Conference (Leadership. Evidence. Analysis. Debate.): Positive Outcomes for At-Risk Children and Youth: Improving Lives Through Practice and System Reform.
The GPPI LEAD Conference will be an annual national event that brings together experts and key stakeholders to examine a particular policy challenge and discuss potential solutions. This year's inaugural event will invite attendees to explore the following issues related to at-risk children and youth:
- What do children and youth need to develop into healthy, happy, and productive individuals?
- When children or youth are abused, drop out of school, commit a crime, or suffer from behavioral or mental health problems, what interventions can help them get back on the path towards positive life outcomes?
- What are the necessary systemic changes that can help improve outcomes for at-risk children and youth?
This two-day conference will address these questions and more by presenting policies and practices that can be brought together in a comprehensive way to support the healthy development of this vulnerable population. Anyone interested in improving the outcomes for at-risk children and youth are encouraged to attend. Policymakers, practitioners, researchers, foundation representatives, students, teachers, community leaders, and others will benefit from this opportunity to hear from leading experts, network with other professionals, and participate in an ongoing national dialogue.
January 24-25, 2013
Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center
Washington, D.C.
For additional information and to REGISTER NOW, please visit the conference website at http://gppi.georgetown.edu/leadconference.
Inquiries may be directed to leadconference@georgetown.edu
Reentry Success Story: Peer Support and Referral Services Help Man Make Positive Changes and Plan for a Better Future
The Council of State Governments Justice Center—which coordinates the National Reentry Resource Center—has been collecting stories about people whose lives have improved as a result of their involvement in a Second Chance Act-funded grant program. The Second Chance Act of 2008 established funding for programs seeking to reduce recidivism and assist people in their transition back into the community from incarceration. If you would like to provide a story about a successful client in your Second Chance Act-funded program, please contact Stephanie Joson at sjoson@csg.org. All names and other individually identifying details have been changed to preserve confidentiality.
The son of a father who had disappeared and a mother who was addicted to cocaine, Eddie had a difficult childhood. His mother's addiction caused her to lose custody of Eddie when he was five years old, sending him into Alabama's foster care system. From age 5 to age 19, Eddie lived in 12 foster homes, never staying in one place for more than two years. Some foster parents were physically abusive; one ran a gun smuggling business. Eddie's own activities got him involved in the juvenile justice system, which made finding foster families more difficult. After spending over a year in a temporary shelter, Eddie was sent to stay in a group home where security measures reminded him of a juvenile detention center. "I remember sitting back in my room and thinking about my mom and starting to cry," Eddie recalls. "I thought, 'I'm 16 years old. Why am I locked up?'"
Eddie was eventually placed with another foster family, yet his situation soon became unstable again when his foster father accused him of setting the family's equipment shed on fire. Eddie was convicted of arson and sentenced to a disciplinary "boot camp" for 30 days.
At 18 years old, Eddie joined the National Guard, where he gained experience in avionics electronics. After fulfilling his two-year commitment, he enrolled in college, found a steady job, and got into a relationship. But his success was short-lived. He cut class often and had to drop out of college. He then lost his girlfriend, his job, and his apartment within a period of two weeks. Hoping for a fresh start, Eddie followed a friend to Minnesota.
To continue reading this success story, click here.
Reentry in the News
Articles from newspapers around the country covering issues related to reentry can be found on the National Reentry Resource Center website. Some recent articles, with excerpts, are posted below.
This is a National Reentry Resource Center Newsletter. Descriptions of publications, in most cases, are based on or excerpted from the source publication or website. The opinions expressed or language used in this type of content does not reflect the views and/or practices of the Council of State Governments Justice Center or the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
This newsletter site is funded in whole or in part through a grant (award number: 2012-CZ-BX-KO71) from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this newsletter (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).
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