Women’s Council Report  

Is Legal Always Ethical: Crime and Punishment and the Helping Professions

Friday, January 29, 2016

The consequences of a criminal conviction are so severe and enduring that they effectively challenge one’s fundamental status as a member of society.

Did you know?

• Social work students who have criminal histories are routinely barred from internships in state licensed social service agencies, even if the conviction has been expunged.
• The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) delays processing applications for registration from social workers with criminal histories. These applications are evaluated on a “case by case” basis using undisclosed criteria.
• Social work educators report increasing numbers of applicants to schools of social work with criminal histories.
• A “criminal history” includes misdemeanor convictions for offenses such as driving under the influence, failure to disburse, possession of a controlled substance for personal use and unlawful assembly.
• The National Employment Law Project reports that one in four adult Californians (25 percent) has a criminal history.

Some believe that removing barriers faced by social workers with criminal histories is consistent with social work principles of diversity and inclusion, the value of lived experience in providing effective social work services and the promotion of recovery and rehabilitation. Others believe that a criminal history may be predictive of future unethical behavior and that only those whose past has been closely vetted should be admitted as full members of the profession.

What do you believe?

• Once a person who has been convicted of a crime and has complied with all of the court’s requirements (e.g., paid fines, completed probation, served time) they have paid their debt to society and should not be treated any differently than people with no criminal history.

OR

• Most people don’t change and rehabilitation is rare; a conviction history indicates a high probability of future unethical/criminal behavior.

• Laws reflect social constructs not abstract notions of good and evil and therefore a criminal history is not a reliable indicator of a person’s dependability, honesty or reliability.

OR

• A person with a criminal history is a rule breaker and is probably unreliable and dishonest.

• Class and caste predict involvement in the criminal justice system to a greater degree than individual behavior.

OR

• Although there are some isolated problems, law enforcement and the court system are necessary institutions that ensure public safety in a fair and just manner with only rare exceptions.

The Women’s Council 2016 Law and Ethics Workshop, “Is Legal Always Ethical: Crime and Punishment and the Helping Professions” will examine the impact of these and other beliefs on the profession, in the context of the increasing number of potential social workers with criminal histories. It will consider the barriers those with criminal histories encounter in securing appropriate internships, obtaining ACSW registration and identifying meaningful employment.

Join the Council Friday, January 29, 2016, at The Center for Healthy Communities, The California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda, Los Angeles, 90012 for this Law and Ethics Workshop offering 6 CEUs (provider #4713) and lunch. Pre-registration is $45, $60 at the door.

For more information contact (424) 291-2452 or email womenscouncil@sbc.global.net. To register send a $45 check, payable to SoCal Women’s Council, to Brenda Wiewel, Chair, 3902 Denwood Ave., Los Alamitos, CA 90720.