It's a tricky problem, which is part of what makes it fun to write about: )

I feel like having any kind of structured intake process for the groups would limit their usefulness. They're supposed to be a place where anyone can drop in for support, so any process that seemed like gatekeeping could be problematic. But having individual counseling available in addition to the regular meetings would make perfect sense.

I didn't get into it here, but ideally the GSGs could be a place where even criminals could find support to change for the better. How to allow that while keeping everyone safe is an open question. The AA community does an okay job of this in general, yet I'm aware of circumstances where AA was used by predators as cover to access victims. The rainbow family has been circulating lists of known predators for the last several years, with mixed results. The way the GSGs are set up, group safety is primarily the facilitator's responsibility, but maybe that needs to change.