We have just released a new staff screening policy on our website, which provides as follows:
Prostasia Foundation will conduct a background check of staff and volunteers, and for this purpose we will require the following information to be provided:
- Full name including any previous names
- Address history
- Social Security Number (SSN) or equivalent national identification number
- Any arrests or pending cases that are not reflected in a criminal record history
You will be consulted about the screening results and given an opportunity to discuss them. We believe fully in the redemption and the rehabilitation of people who have been convicted of crimes, and therefore a prior record will not necessarily preclude your engagement with Prostasia. However, given the nature of our work, such engagement may be conditioned on your candor towards us, and willingness to disclose your past publicly.
The impetus for the development of this policy has been that one of our volunteers was found to have an arrest record that had not been disclosed to Prostasia Foundation. As the record was not available on any public sex offense registry, in the interests of transparency we have decided to require future volunteers to submit to a more detailed background check.
The volunteer in question is no longer associated with Prostasia Foundation, however we are not revealing their identity because their arrest record was disclosed by “doxxing” and the person’s physical safety and livelihood could be prejudiced by the circulation of information about their previous arrest.
During their engagement, the volunteer helped compile a database of research articles used for Prostasia’s internal purposes, wrote one blog post that we have since unpublished (but which is available on request with personal information redacted), and commenced work on a terminology document that has not been completed. This work will now be reviewed independently.
If you have any feedback on our new screening policy, please post it here. Any comments identifying the doxxed volunteer, either here or on social media, will be removed.