Background checks are something most of us have endured, whether it was to get a job or even to work with children as a volunteer. Yet, there is a loophole which needs to be tightened within the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. The Department should require background checks on not only the counselors who work at group homes in Massachusetts, but also on the residents of halfway houses.

According to Sen. James Timilty (D-Walpole), “… we’re not looking at what these people did or what they’re capable of doing. You’re putting people at risk.” These are words from someone who co-chairs the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. This committee needs to take a closer look at the policy of not only where group homes will be located, and procedures to protect the staff at these locations, but also at who is allowed to reside at a halfway house, especially considering the low level security environment most of these locations have.

Group homes do not do CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) checks, and that can brew a bad mixture for not only the neighbors of these complexes, but also for both the staff and the residents. The Boston Herald reported that Jackie Moore, CEO of North Suffolk Mental Health Association, which oversees 10 group homes, said that CORI checks are not part of the company's policy.

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