Excerpted from a MassLive Blog by John L. Micek
New regulations taking effect March 14 aim to toughen the background screening for people entering the state’s emergency shelter system after it was rocked by reports of violent crimes committed by people living there.
People who refuse to submit to a check through the state’s Criminal Offender Record Information system will be denied shelter, Gov. Maura Healey’s office said.
People also will be denied a place in the system if they have been convicted of a serious crime, like murder, arson, kidnapping, rape, and felonies against children, the administration said in a statement.
Healey’s office ordered mandatory criminal background checks for shelter applicants in January. That order came in response to revelations that the state did not conduct full background checks on people entering the system.
In addition, all families entering the system must have their identities and familial relationships verified before entering the system.
Those rules were included in a $425 million short-term funding bill that lawmakers passed, and Healey signed, last month. They came from recommendations formulated by former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, whom Healey tapped to come up with fixes for the system.
The changes will “empower our team to keep families, staff and communities safe by enhancing our criminal background check process and disqualifying anyone who has been convicted of a serious crime,” Healey said in a statement.
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