American Public Overwhelmingly Support Criminal Background Checks

Government research shows that 90% of Americans support criminal background checks for volunteers who work with children and nearly as many report being prepared to undergo such checks themselves.

Last year, a report showed that the red-tape of criminal background checks were considered a deterrent for volunteers. The Commission on the Future of Volunteering pressured for the removal of the bureaucratic barriers. But the Home Office commissioned the poll, finding that 70% said they thought the background checks worked as a deterrent to keep criminals from volunteering. The Home Office estimates that it has prevented 80,000 criminals from working with children.