Value in Narrowing Screening Criteria
Screening criteria generally become more useful the more specific they are. This will pinpoint areas of concern, and not unnecessarily disqualify applicants.
Narrowing Criteria
The phrase ‘drug-related offenses’ covers everything from a single misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to felony racketeering. Narrowing the categories of offenses to target specific relevant offenses, and within a defined time period, can be much more useful. There are several factors which should be taken into consideration when reviewing criminal records and how the offense applies to the situation at hand: the age of the individual at the time of the offense, the societal context in which the offense occurred, the probability that the type of behavior will continue, and the person’s commitment to rehabilitation and changing the behavior in question. In general, crimes occurring within the past year or two may well be more relevant than those in the distant past (which exception, of course, of sexually exploitive offenses which remain an unacceptable risk when working with vulnerable populations).