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The need for criminal background checks never stops and in the case of a 7 year Aja Johnson, in Oklahoma, the absence

of a criminal records search may have ended up costing her life. That is a dear price to pay for what may have amounted to negligence by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Earlier this year on January 24^th, Aja’s moth was found dead inside a motor home

owned by her husband, Lester Hobbs, and he and Aja had disappeared. Almost two months later, March 29^th, their bodies were found in a wooded area close to Norman, Oklahoma. No doubt there was some deeply disturbing psychological reason for this triple murder, but that remains a mystery.

During the three years leading up to the murders, the girls family had nine referrals to the Oklahoma DHS. The encounters included reports that Lester Hobbs, her stepfather, had abused her. He was a convicted felon who had spent time in prison for assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Yet, no criminal background checks were conducted on this individual when Aja was returned to the home.

Some wonder if such a conviction should have been automatic disqualification for Hobbs as a caregiver to the child. I personally think, ANY individual who has such a conviction should be subjected to intense psychological evaluation and frequently checked up on if entrusted with another human life. There is a chance this may not have stopped the murder/suicide, but I am willing to bet the signs would have been noticed.

Now, before anyone goes jumping on the “bash Oklahoma” bandwagon, criminal background checks are not part of standard operating procedure when the DHS puts a child back with their families. Plus, I can very easily imagine the collective gasp from parents when they are required to undergo such a search in order to get their child back.

The next thing is that even if a criminal background check is conducted and comes clean, that absolutely does not mean a parent will not abuse the child. There are even many cases of children being abused within the DHS itself, which is supposed to be the line of defense against such behavior.

The long and short is that times are changing and watching the news the past few years has made me a little sick at just how much scrutiny has to be done, or so it seems, on practically every single person in society. This ranges from NASA all the way down to the local daycare center. I recently had some friends lease an apartment and they were astonished at the level of detail required for them to move in. The background investigation included everything from bank accounts, to criminal searches, to credit accounts, to checking payment history. I see this as somewhat invasive, but as mentioned before, the times we live in call for more stringent measures.

Extensive experience in the background check field has lead to the summarizing of important concepts on various topics. A general overview for employment background check procedures, and how to acquire your own criminal background checks are at the respective links.

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