The chairs of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure want an oversight hearing and an “immediate and thorough investigation” into how sex offenders were able to obtain state licenses to work in various trades and professions.
Sen. Paul Feeney and Rep. Tackey Chan issued a joint statement on Monday afternoon, responding to a Boston Globe report that found 68 registered sex offenders held state licenses, including 21 electricians, and that officials at the Division of Professional Licensure had failed to check applicants against the sex offender registry from August 2016 through May 2019 because of what the division described a technical glitch.
Chan and Feeney called the report “deeply concerning” and said the reported firing of an employee who “stepped forward to bring this to light” raises additional questions about the division.
Related:
To Help Ex-Offenders Get Jobs, Some States Reconsider Licenses [pewtrusts.org – 3/8/17]
Wow! this is not only disgusting but terrifying. This is nothing but fascist persecution of a minority group. They asked how did people on the registry get licenses, well, it is quite obvious, they worked hard, studied hard, completed all the schooling, and passed the state exams that’s how they did it. I know, I have received a license after completing a very lengthy apprenticeship program and schooling. Thank God I don’t live in a fascist state that has dictators that feel they can take that from you simply because they don’t like you. Can people convicted of drug offenses, burglary, DUI’s or other offenses get state licenses in Massachusetts? So it is only people on the registry that aren’t’ allowed to improve their lives and make a livelihood by learning a skill. This is nothing but denying people the right to basic civil liberties, the right to an education, the right to work. Without these rights there is no possible chance of living those promises of inalienable right s of humans granted under the Declaration of Independence. This is pure tyranny, nothing short.
Historically events like this have been precursors to genocide. Terrifying to say the least.
“…including 21 electricians…”
You have got to be kidding me. This is outrageous!!!!
When I was in state I took the electrical trades course. We are not talking about a 10 hour course to teach you the names of tools and that electricity can kill you we are talking about gaining a certification in the electrical trades. I spent countless hours in class each day and studying each night back in the cell learning my trade that I am proud of. When released I had full certification and was able to obtain an electrical license from the city I lived in.
When I started the course I did not know anything about even changing a receptacle in the wall and at the end I knew how to wire an entire house by code. If it was not for this trades program while I was in state I would have had no opportunity when I was released to make any sort of a living. I used my time in state wisely and to my benefit. Ask all my former customers (retired now) if they were not totally satisfied with my work.
My PO did not mind me being an electrician and only cared that I had gainful employment and that it was legal employment.
Not being able to get a license on the outside after all of that would have been like them cutting off one of my arms. “Here, you are released but we will make it 1,000 times harder for you to survive than any other ex-felon!!”.
This nonsense must stop!!!!
How dare you be gainfully employed in a trade that might give you a decent living wage? It’s this mindset that has me contemplating moving out of the country.
However, this documentation can go towards showing how these “civil” limitations on a select group of people are in fact punitive.
Continue with the madness I say.
The main question here in any future legal challenge, is how would debarment of any state license, or more specifically as an electrician, have a rationale relation to public safety. We are getting mighty close to the statement in Smith v. Doe that the registry does not affect where offenders live or work.
@JohnDoeUtah “Close to the statement in Smith v. Doe that the registry does not affect where offenders live or work?” We are clearly way past that characterization of the law in this decision which now governs all of our lives. In Illinois, people are being thrown out of their homes at Christmas time because of a new ruling that the permissible distance from a park playground is to be calculated not from your doorstep to the fence of the playground, but to the outer perimeter of the entire park. And, not just where we are permitted to live and work, but in Illinois, where we are permitted to be “present.” We can’t be on any “park property” or in any building on park property, unrelated to where children might be, like a playground. In Chicago, that means we can’t (technically) visit the Art Institute or the Harris Theatre of Music and Dance, both of which happen to be on park property. I just don’t understand how this SORNA ruling is still the gold standard of registration, when so many thousands of state and local laws now clearly go so much further than was ever envisioned by Roberts in his Price Club analogy. It would just have to be overturned if a case ever got that far. Once again, I have admiration and thanks for work of Janice and her colleagues like Adele Nichols and Mark Weinberg in Illinois, but unless some of these local cases move up and get a new ruling from SORNA overturning the entire registry regimen, nothing will change for most of us from this nibbling around the edges strategy.
And how many of those committed a crime while holding trade licenses?
I meant to say a new ruling from SCOTUS.
Instead of complaining here, do like I did and email the guy and tell him hiw screwed up his view and actions are. He is listed on web with email and phone#. Easy enough to contact and voice your opinion directly.
Is there some reason a sex offender shouldn’t be an electrician? Or maybe we should all just be plumbers since we’re so good at dealing with the shit they give us. They didn’t give them daycare licenses…
Here is what I wrote to these, for a lack of a better word, imbeciles, including the journalist who wrote the article:
With All Due Respect,
Tackey Chan & Paul Feeney
It is clear from this news today that you want to Hinder Family’s Safety, Prevent an Individual’s Freedom to Make a Decent Living, thus Destroying Families, potentially making people Homeless, and putting the entire Commonwealth In Danger, is that correct?
You have an issue with a person who SERVED THEIR TIME and proceeds to better their lives by getting technical training to become a Plumber or Electrician and to continue living their life peacefully, is that correct?
Do You People (elected politicians) even Research 30 minutes worth of studies or emperical information before jumping to ‘immediately’ react to an emotionally-stirring piece such as the one that Andrea Estes (CCed here) wrote?
If you spent ANY time, even a whole 30 seconds, researching this information you would find endless statistics and reports from DOJ and other government entities about how ‘Citizens with a Registerable Sex Offense’ have one of Lowest Recidivism rates out there. I don’t see Any effort at all being made by Righteous lawmakers to curb Domestic Violence, Violence Against Women at home or children. How Shameful.
Let’s please stop labeling people as “Sex Offenders”, as if they are out Sex Offending, raping and pillaging a town 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days a week. I don’t see you referring to former Armed Robbers as such, or Arsonists, or the plethora of other offenders who have a Well Documented Re-offense rate as many of which are ‘career criminals’. You teach your children not to Label people, but you aren’t Adult enough to hold the same standard for yourself? The people you are Bullying are ‘Citizens with a Registerable Sex Offense’, meaning they have been Forced by lawmakers like yourselves, not Judges who are the correct people to be making such decisions, to be placed on the Sex Offender Registry, for Horrible Offenses such as a 19 year old being with his almost-16-year old girlfriend, or someone seeing images of someone under 18 in a sex act, because obviously nobody under 18 has ever done anything sexual, including yourselves, right? Yes, you are correct. Offenses like these are ABOVE murder and Physical Violence against Human Beings. Yes, you both are DEFINITELY targeting the right group of people, you are REALLY protecting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
If someone is SO dangerous that we need to prohibit them from working, then they are likely still locked up in jail. If people with offenses have been let out into the public, then they should have the same rights as everyone else. PERIOD. There is no ‘selecting of who we don’t like more and take their rights away as Human Beings’. NO. That’s slavery of people. Who do you think you are, God?
Out of all offenses, you’ve chosen people with sex offenses to BULLY, which is exactly what you are doing, Bullying decent people who have started to rebuild their lives. The amount of children killed during Halloween every year raises ZERO interest, but people who have made a mistake in their lives and have now made steps to move on and be better people, THOSE are the people you’re going after. How about the men, especially oddly enough police officers, who are known to be Wife Beaters? Why aren’t you focusing on them to prevent Real and Imminent harm from happening?
SHAME absolute SHAME.
I apologize if my tone comes off as too harsh. I believe for the most part you are all decent people, but you need to really think about what you are doing and saying. I am fighting for the nearly 1,000,000 people on the registries across the United States, some of which are living in homeless camps due to residency restrictions (Miami-Dade County), as if residency restrictions have Ever had anything to do with a single sex offense. I am NOT ok with seeing people’s lives further destroyed by Lawmakers. I have a voice and I will use it. Nearly 1 million people are rated as “2nd tier citizens”, the vast majority of which being first-time offenders simply because they made a mistake and Lawmakers single-handedly, without any evidence, decided that These People should be treated worse than a Child or Wife beater or someone who’s intentionally murdered/dismembered someone. I am baffled, absolutely FLOORED how someone who has been sent to jail for dismembering their roommate/lover/etc is out on parole after 20-25 years, yet someone in Texas who had a mental issue and collected underage nudity/pornography is rotting away for 100 YEARS in jail. What kind of world are we living in? Is there no Human sense anymore?
I hope you all have an enjoyable Christmas, and take a moment to think of the people living in homeless camps Today who are unable to spend time with families due to the laws passed in their respective states/counties.
Is there any state that allows Former Citizens to retain trade licenses once their status is known?
If so, is there a resource which lists states that allow Former Citizens to get and keep trade licenses?
I am pretty sure California is a case by case basis and that the licensing board for each trade makes the determination. Most are denied. I know that I was denied a vehicle salesperson license because my crime was one that included “moral turpitude.” (sex crime).
Has any reader here been able to obtain AND keep an Occupational License in California? If so, please detail, because I have never yet met anyone who was able to keep their license once they were convicted or if they applied after conviction.