Victim Advocacy Blog

The Critical Importance of Data Entry to Improve Victims’ Rights
Isenberg & Hewitt Blog

Recently, one of my cases involving a popular restaurant franchise made the news for failing to protect its employees and it just burns me up at how preventable this all was. As a former law enforcement officer, and current partner and attorney for Isenberg & Hewitt for XX years, as well as serving as an Advisory Board member for Marsy’s Law for Georgia and National Crime Victim Bar Association and Board member for National Center for Victims of Crime, Crime Victims Advocacy Council and Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc., I have dedicated my life serving victims and fighting for their rights. Let me tell you, these stories are heartbreaking and I’m glad we have campaigns like National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to elevate victim voices.

However, I want to call attention to how simple it is, in some cases, for companies to prevent victims in the making — by nipping tragedies in the bud. I’m referring to the recent passing of the Criminal Record Responsibility Act (CRRA) into law which requires Georgia’s court systems to accurately and expeditiously enter criminal justice data into the centralized Georgia Criminal Information Center (GCIC).

How is this relevant, you may ask? Let’s refer to my recent case where the restaurant franchise hired a manager — who was a registered sex offender and was previously convicted of child molestation. This information was all on record. Had the organization done a simple background check, these details would have come to light and this man should not have been hired to a position to supervise minors alone. My client would never have been “groomed” or been impregnated by a convicted felon.

With an increase of labor shortages and rise of inflation, more and more teenagers — minors — are entering the workforce to help bring in income into their households. Businesses who rely on teenage labor should require mandatory background checks so that no one with a history of harming children are put in a position of authority over them. It’s just plain lazy and irresponsible.

While I honor National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and will always speak for victims, I also want us to use common sense in preventing these kind of reprehensible actions from happening again. The tools are out there, let’s hold corporations responsible if they don’t use them to protect our children or families.