A North Texas mother is calling for the creation of an online registry of convicted abusers of children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Delia Pasley's 3-year-old daughter injured her neck last year when an employee at the daycare the young girl attended pushed her down.
The woman, who had no prior convictions, was convicted of felony child abuse and received 10 days in jail and probation.
That's not enough for Pasley.
She believes the woman's name, picture, and conviction information should be entered into an online registry of convicted abusers. Pasley said she wants a database similar to a sex offender registry that parents can easily access.
"It would make me feel better as a parent knowing that I could actually research their name, I could research their history, and actually find them like I do today if I were to look for a sex offender," she said.
Such a database does not currently exist, so Pasley has started a petition. She hopes to get enough signatures to catch the attention of Texas lawmakers.
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"We have sex offenders and those are easy to find by your zip code or where you live, but there is nothing that tells me that you've been convicted of child abuse," she said. "[A registry] may also give caregivers a second thought about what they're doing and take better care of who they're caring for at that time."
Pasley's efforts have the support of Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney Erleigh Wiley. Her office prosecuted Pasley's daughter's abuser.
"It's interesting. I've been in law enforcement, a DA in Dallas, and a judge and never thought of that," Wiley said.
The state monitors the convictions of care providers and certain convictions, such as sexual assault, can automatically bar a person from working in a licensed operation.
Licensed facilities are also required to carry out background checks and fingerprint potential employees. If an operation allowed someone with a conviction that prohibits them from working at the facility the Health and Humans Services Commission can take action, which could include revoking the license.
Wiley and Pasley said those are great safeguards, but they want an extra layer of protection.
"There's licensing requirements for child-care providers, so I think it'd be hard for her to go work at a a child-care licensed facility, but what's stopping her from operating out of her home with a small amount of children or a nanny for somebody?" Wiley said. "She's going to be on felony probation and one of her conditions will be to not care for the elderly...or children...or the disabled, but when her terms and conditions are over is there any mechanism in place to protect children? I think Delia had an idea that might have a time, and now may be it."
To view Pasley's petition click here.
