YMCAs Revoke Memberships of Registered Sex Offenders

Feb. 4, 2010 — -- A group of YMCAs in Connecticut have begun revoking the memberships of registered sex offenders in a move officials say is meant to comb out predators who may come in contact with the thousands of children who use those Ys.

The new policy by the Connecticut YMCAs is the latest in a spreading movement by YMCAs. Similar programs already exist at Ys in Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

While the policy has been applauded by some, it is also raising questions whether it violates the rights of registered sex offenders and makes it harder for them to be rehabilitated.

Last week, 12 YMCA community centers in Connecticut cross referenced their membership database with the state's sex offender registry.

Philip Dwyer, the president and CEO of the Central Connecticut Coast group, said that YMCAs have always done background checks on their staff members and volunteers and that checking for registered sex offenders was just the next step.

"Technology has caught up and made it easier to do these checks," said Dwyer, "and so we took the natural progression on that journey and began to check the database of the entire membership as well."

Dwyer said that the first sweep of the 12-branch membership occurred last week, and checked approximately 50,000 names. Of those, Dwyer, who refused to give precise numbers, said only a "handful" came up as registered sex offenders.

"Once we get a name, we first confirm that the information is correct. Technology is not perfect," said Dwyer. "We need to go through the proper steps and confirm it's the same information, determine what caused the registration to be necessary and make a decision based on facts."