A Lesson on Michigan Background Check for Charity Recipient

Murderer Given New Roof by Local Charity

https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/port-huron/2018/06/25/vet-who-got-new-roof-has-sordid-past/724848002/

When a headline reads something like “Convicted Murderer Given Free Roof” or a feel-good charity story turns ugly because of the recipient’s past; the intention of doing a good thing for someone deserving is lost, and the charity is often made to look bad as a result. That’s where a real Michigan background check comes it.

In the charity world, giveaways are usually a great way to develop positive media stories about your organization, but they can also turn sour if the organization does not do their due diligence ahead of time, including conducting a background check.  This story can be used as a cautionary tale for any organization that is looking to do a good deed, even though they thought they were doing the necessary screening.  This organization implemented a screening process for those who applied for assistance, but it was not a real Michigan background check. Instead they only checked to see if the individuals were actively in the Michigan Department of Corrections.

In this story, the man who was awarded a new roof, in Port Huron, was convicted of second-degree murder and assault with intent to murder in 1976 and aggravated stalking in 2003.  Because it has been longer than three years since his discharge date, this individual no longer appears on the Michigan Department of Corrections website (a free search).  Many organizations look for the least expensive way to do a Michigan background check for their giveaway applicants, but they often find that the small fee they would have paid to have the applicants properly screened would have saved them from bad press.  In this case, a more thorough background check should have included a state criminal history search, with no limitations on the number of years back the data can go.  Having conducted this level of background check, something we would consider a basic Michigan Background Check, would have cost as little as $30 and could have saved this charity a lot of bad press both locally in Port Huron.

For more information about a real Michigan background check for charity recipients, employee background checks or background checks for caregivers, please check out our website at www.backgroundcheckcentral.com

Contributed by Adam Groth