Drawing the line at criminal record?

[Anonymous]

What do you do? Criminal record came up with some things 10-20+ years ago. Not major things, but most people don't live in one place long enough, so it's harder to track. I found out after we hired her. Had 3 good references that returned my calls plus more.

[Anonymous]

Depends what she did.

[Anonymous]

It really depends - moving violation? NBD.

If it's criminal, remember that people often take a plea so the criminal record indicates a lesser crime than what actually happened. I'd ask the nanny about it to hear her side of the story, but if it was criminal, the fact that she was convicted of anything means there was some kind of evidence. Don't forget that reality just because she seems nice and is doing a good job.

[Anonymous]

I would pass on a criminal record. Unless it was a speeding ticket or possibly a DUI 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

Isolated incident of not it shows you can't control yourself or your temper, you can't make good decisions, and you don't know when you leave a bad situation. All things I would not want in a person caring for and spending time with my child.

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny with no criminal record, and can't imagine anyone hiring someone to watch their kids with ANY kind of criminal record. Seriously? It's not that hard to not commit any crimes, people, and anyone who has in the past isn't someone I would want around my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

Isolated incident of not it shows you can't control yourself or your temper, you can't make good decisions, and you don't know when you leave a bad situation. All things I would not want in a person caring for and spending time with my child.

PP Here.

That is ironic, because I have had multiple background checks run by different families and they have been done by their own independent companies too. All have come back perfectly clean. So I am assuming this blip on my record was somehow expunged from my record since someone in law enforcement realized what a mistake it was to arrest me in the first place.

Because ultimately I am protected by the Constitution: Innocent until proven guilty.

Obviously, you must have failed History in High School. Sucks for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

Isolated incident of not it shows you can't control yourself or your temper, you can't make good decisions, and you don't know when you leave a bad situation. All things I would not want in a person caring for and spending time with my child.

PP Here.

That is ironic, because I have had multiple background checks run by different families and they have been done by their own independent companies too. All have come back perfectly clean. So I am assuming this blip on my record was somehow expunged from my record since someone in law enforcement realized what a mistake it was to arrest me in the first place.

Because ultimately I am protected by the Constitution: Innocent until proven guilty.

Obviously, you must have failed History in High School. Sucks for you.

NP here. the poster was not offending you, simply responding to your own post where you said that you were arrested for domestic violence (although never charged) and that you were hoping that if a family found out, your squeaky clean record would speak in your favor. the poster simply pointed out that if she found out, she would not hire you. I agree with the poster, while I know that good people can make one stupid mistake, and that people can be arrested even though they did nothing wrong, I simply would never take the chance to hire a total stranger who had been arrested, especially for domestic violence. I would rather loose a great nanny than taking the chance to leave an infant with a person who may have issues with violent behavior or anger management (I would hire that person for other jobs, but not for watching kids unsupervised). This has nothing to do with the Constitution or the innocent until proven guilty, simply with the fact that if a family knew of your background, it might be less likely to hire you than if it did not know. Frankly, your response to the PP seems to confirm that you have some issues with your temper

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

Isolated incident of not it shows you can't control yourself or your temper, you can't make good decisions, and you don't know when you leave a bad situation. All things I would not want in a person caring for and spending time with my child.

PP Here.

That is ironic, because I have had multiple background checks run by different families and they have been done by their own independent companies too. All have come back perfectly clean. So I am assuming this blip on my record was somehow expunged from my record since someone in law enforcement realized what a mistake it was to arrest me in the first place.

Because ultimately I am protected by the Constitution: Innocent until proven guilty.

Obviously, you must have failed History in High School. Sucks for you.

Yea the constitution doesn't protect the innocent until proven guilty. Go back to high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

We had a recent experience with a nanny with the exact same situation as yours. We gave her a chance. She turned out to be a hot mess emotionally and had showed poor judgment on several occasions. Never again.

[Anonymous]

I would never hire anyone who has been arrested at all.

People who have been arrested use bad judgment, are uneducated and are very ignorant to authority in general.

A sign of maturity is to be held accountable for each and every action you make, to own it and not act as if you are a victim of circumstance.

I would never hire a nanny who had the attitude that she should be hired even though she had a previous arrest record. I do not care if you were arrested last night or last decade. I do not care if you were arrested for Domestic Violence, Jaywalking or Protesting Abortion Rights.

An arrest is an arrest. If you were arresting in Berkeley CA for protesting the police shootings and blocking traffic, whether or not I agree with your politics or not, you still were arrested and now you have that blot on your criminal record for life.

No way are you watching my child.

[Anonymous]

I stopped nannying last September but yesterday went to visit with my former NF. They shared stories of the nightmare nannies they've had since and I was shocked. Now, reading this board for the first time in months - and this thread particularly - I want to send all those crazy nannies to all of you who would refuse to hire someone for protesting, i.e. exercising their constitutional rights. Jaywalking, really? My aunt has a jaywalking ticket from 20 years ago she refuses to pay because she'd crossed the street at night to avoid a group of men gathered on her side. God forbid someone with that level of situational awareness watch children! The horror!

Seriously, I want to send these crazy nannies to those of you who deserve them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got into an argument with an ex-boyfriend back in '04 and was arrested for Domestic Violence. Since I couldn't post bail, I had to spend a few nights at the county jail.

I never saw a judge and was released after 72 hrs. Charges were never brought against me so I got no jail time, probation or anger management counseling or classes.

If a family found out about it, I would be mortified, but I would truly hope that my squeaky clean record before and after this isolated event would speak volumes.

And I would not want you working for me.

[Anonymous]

Why would I hire a nanny who had any sort of arrest on her record?

So what if twenty years ago, an applicant has an arrest on her record and I ask her what it was for?

Then she responds that she was protesting at an "Anti-abortion" rally and was boycotting Planned Parenthood.

Do you really think that arrest is less serious than a drug possession arrest, a domestic violence arrest or a jaywalking arrest?

No way.

An arrest is a red flag. It shows that you are too immature to accept the laws of the land, that you think you are superior to authority and that you have too much pride.

So any nanny with an arrest on her record, even for disturbing the peace is not going to get a job caring for my child.

Because I will always wonder what her mindset will be in the event that she will need to take direction from someone she doesn't agree with. Will she lose her temper?

I want a role model for my child.

Look at all the celebrities who have arrests. Paris Hilton, Kloe Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon, Mel Gibson, Alex Baldwin, etc.

There is no way any of these people should ever be entrusted to care for kids.