With the tens of thousands of lawsuits that the Boy Scouts of America has found themselves facing, surely it’s gotten safer, right? According to Michael Johnson, former director of youth protection for Scouts BSA, founder of Plano, Texas’s Child Advocacy Center, and former law enforcement officer, the answer is a definite “no.”
In a 2021 letter to Congress, Johnson condemned the lack of reforms within the organization. He said that although he had been able to implement a number of changes — including training programs and establishing a system for reporting abuse — there was so much more that needed to be done that he wrote: “In my professional opinion, the truth is clear: No child is safe in Scouts BSA programs. The institution, as it stands today, continues to be a HIGH-RISK organization for child sexual abuse, due to the accessibility and opportunity the program presents to a range of sex offenders.”
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Johnson cited a laundry list of failings, including not having proper screening procedures in place to vet employees and volunteers; what he called “inadequate criminal background screening”; and their continued use of a “72-hour rule,” which basically meant that, at the time of Johnson’s letter, anyone could accompany scouts on events — including overnight camping trips — without having gone through any screening process, as long as they were staying with the troop for less than three days. His suggestions for making scouting safer included 12 actionable steps that needed to be taken, and until they were, Johnson warned that abuse would continue.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of sexual assault or child abuse, contact the relevant resources below:
