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Subscribe to RSSDateline’s” investigative franchise The Hansen Files returns on Friday, March 2nd at 10pm/9c and will air every Sunday throughout March at 7p/6c. Along with “Dateline’s” hidden cameras, Chris Hansen will uncover secrets and scams that will shock and move you - from day care workers with criminal records to questionable healthcare insurance. He’ll also confront dishonest lottery retailers and expose the realities of how prescription drugs are actually approved.
Beginning Friday, March 2nd, at 10pm/9c:
Reliable daycare is a staple requirement of American child rearing. But how much do parents know about just who owns and runs some of the daycare centers around the country? And how much are they allowed to know? “Dateline” did some random sampling of Day Care owners and found a surprising number of Day Care operators actually have criminal records. And, sometimes it ends in a tragedy. Chris Hansen confronts Day Care operators with secrets in their pasts.
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I am tired of reports/reporters like this. The people that they are investigating did something wrong, and they were punished for it. Has Mr. Hansen ever thought that they have reformed and maybe wanted to do something positive with their lives? Do any of these child care workers have active open criminal files? I'm guessing not, but hey let's not stop us from criticizing that they take care of kids. I run into this crap all the time being a former Marine. I deployed 4 times and was a proud Marine and now I work with kids and for some reason sissy scared parents always look at me with caution. Why? Because I was a crazy gung-ho Marine doesn't mean I act like that with children. Even in prisons anyone who messes with kids are on the "list" of lower than scum. Stop trying to kick these people out of honest work Mr. Hansen because I'm sure you have some things that you have done that you aren't particularly proud of and disqualifies you from working with the rest of civilized society.
As for this line "And, sometimes it ends in a tragedy. Chris Hansen confronts Day Care operators with secrets in their pasts." parents know that they are leaving their kids with strangers and always run the risk of something going wrong. Case in point the child care worker who accidentally gave kids windshield wiper fluid that she mistook for a juice drink. Did she intend to do that? No. Was she qualified to work and care after kids? Yes. So stuff does happen and its called LIFE! I'm sure you will ask the parents of the kids if they knew that the workers have criminal pasts, but did you ask the kids if they felt safe and happy with those people? Again I think not.
This is all speculation though since it has not yet aired, but I will watch intently see if I hit it right on or maybe I am way off base. I have a feeling though it is the former and not the latter.
I would have no problem leaving my son at a daycare run by a Marine, as long as that Marine hadn't killed their spouse, abused their own child, left their child in a hot car to go into the bank, or some of the other things the people on this show had done. I get that sometimes accidents happen, but some of the stuff they showed was scary. It is ultimately the parent's responsibility to ensure that your child is left in the care of someone that you CAN trust, and I think that those mothers who said they trust the state even though the woman they were leaving their kids with had a record are insane. I am fortunate to be able to stay at home with my son and I feel that there are plenty of good daycares out there, but there is no denying that something needs to be done about those that aren't up to par.
I am guessing you do not have children Ismael! If you did you would understand how important this episode was to parents! I have a 4yr old daughter in pre-school right now & if I found out ANYONE at her school had a criminal record for a DRUG POSSESTION, DUI, OR VIOLENT CRIME I would pull her out of that school so fast & make it known to anyone & everyone what was going on there! You must be completely insane if you think its ok for someone to give a child windshield washer fluid cause they thought it was juice! NO ONE in their right mind would do something so stupid! Thats not a simple mistake caused by human error or what you called LIFE! Its complete & total negligence! I would not have a problem with you being a marine & taking care of my child, in fact my husband was a marine & I would be honored to have someone who fought for my freedom caring for my child, but I would certainly have a problem with the fact that you're siding with those disgusting idiots that think they have the right to watch our children just because they can get around the laws because of some stupid loophole!! THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR WHEN IT COMES TO THE LIFE OF A CHILD!!! I gotta say I am extremely concerned for the children that you & your daycare are caring for! GOD HELP THEM!
you're an idiot Ismael. So you are saying as long as they were punished we should put blinders on? So if someone kills or abuses a child and serves time, you would feel 100 percent comfortable leaving your kid in their care? If so, I hope you don't have kids. Your logic is the equivalent of saying a rapist or serial killer who has done time should have no problem being out in society as they were punished so all if forgiven and forgotten. there are certain things you can't ignore ever whether or not someone was punished. once you have committed a crime or violation against a child you should never ever be allowed to care for a child. same with a pet....if you have abused an animal you should never be allowed to have another pet. that's what you get for being an ahole. whether you did the time or not, some privileges you lose.
Chris,
I'm all in favor of protecting children and screening daycare
workers...I'm a prosecuting attorney in Missouri and that's my job.
However, I must remind you that arrest records do not equate to
convictions. Arrests are arrests, convictions are convictions, and
the two are NOT the same. Remember that victims sometimes lie, police
investigations are not always what they seem, and you really should
not mislead the public into thinking that someone is guilty of a crime
simply because they have been arrested for one. The ONLY thing that
matters is what a person is convicted of, not what someone is arrested
for. Our entire justice system is based upon the proposition that a
person is innocent until PROVEN GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT. There
are many, many reasons why a person may be arrested for a crime but
not convicted of that crime. Often it is because the facts do not
bear out when trying to prove the case. You undermine our court
system when you allege that a person's arrest record is equivalent to
a conviction record. That is not the case.
In addition, it appeared that one of the documents you showed to a day
care worker was an NCIC printout. In Missouri, the person who
provided that document to you would be guilty of a misdemeanor. Those
print-outs are NOT for public use, especially the way you are using
them. The data on the NCIC report is not necessarily correct because
it relies on many sources, some of which are from old data bases which
are incomplete or incorrect. I caution you in relying only on NCIC
reports, and I further caution the person that released this
information to you against federal and state law.
Sherrie, I'm sure you're good at what you do, but there are a few different perspectives to consider here. I have been a victim of a horrific crime too awful to imagine. Sometimes even when the proof is absolutely without a doubt proving the crime & naming the criminal, justice doesn't always happen, so the "innocent until proven guilty" isn't giving the Victim as many rights as the perpetrator. In my situation the perpetrator is a criminal, and was a criminal even before legal proceedings. There are many guilty perps who would never show up on a criminal history check, also. There are many victims who are afraid to come forward because they are threatened, which leaves the perpetrator out there to abuse many others. Our system would do well to find a way to protect victims without allowing the perpetrator to look at his victim in the court room, this is such a difficult process, which frankly keeps many witnesses from testifying. It would seem that even an Office Partition could help reduce the trauma on the victim a bit, I really don't have any easy answers obviously, but I just wanted you to hear a bit from a different perspective.
Bellingham,
I am so sorry for what you have been through. I completely agree with what you are saying; but, the law is clear and convicting a person upon suspicion or allegations does not meet the standard of proof that is required. Sometimes those "slam dunk" cases are not as clear as they appear, sometimes juries do not want to convict, sometimes the law gets in the way of what we can prove at trial. Your suggestion that there be a screen between victims and perpetrators, for instance, is forbidden by the U.S. Supreme Court as a violation of the defendant's right to confront his accuser. All I'm saying is that for Dateline to propose publicly that an arrest is equivalent to a conviction is a disservice to the public. There really ARE people who are falsely accused!
Yes there are people that are falsely accused. What about the ones with multiple convictions on a variety of crimes? If I could take a stand a stare my perpetrator in the face today and make it known to the world what a terrible person he is for abusing me, I would. I was able to put him away at a young age (10) and he stayed in prison until recently. What frightens me is that he is continuing to do the same things to other children even now. I was horrifying enough to learn years ago he abused cousins on both sides of my family, boys and girls. I know I'm going off on a tangent but know one can ever be too careful.
A person with a record (arrest or conviction) should not be caring for children at all. Parents just remember that you never meet a conartist that you don't like.
Not all day care facilities are bad, as we know. Ironically after watching the story last night, my daughter (who is a pre school teacher in North Carolina) sent me this short video produced by the University of North Carolina featuring her school and their "Rainbows in my tummy" program. Having been a gourmet chef for over 25 years myself, it made me proud to see just how they are feeding these children and the education on proper nutrition that accompanies it. Please take a look...
I hope you folks at NBC see this. You may want to pay them a visit yourself and show there are some positive pre school experiences to be had as well.
Hello everyone,
I can understand what everyone is saying. I have been in childcare for almost 12years, and have 5 children myself! I am currently getting my BA in Early Childhood Education and this field is my life! There are good childcares out there, and I think my state is one of the 11 that do both state and federal background checks, as we submit two background checks (one with paper information to one place and fingerprints to CBI). NO ONE with a criminal background with drugs, alcohol, or violent crimes should be able to work with children. Children are so impressionable that the risk DOES NOT outweigh the positive. I am all for second chances, but NOT with children. I can't believe that these people were allowed to!!!! It outrages me and makes my heart hurt for these babies!!!! When I run a daycare, preschool, or whatever I choose to do when I finish my degree, I will not only be doing the state required background checks, but I will be doing my own investigating!!!!! Parents need to be aware of these problems with state licensing, so they can truly make an educated decision, not just what the state says...because there is obviously too many loop holes!!!!!