What are the Professional boards for?

They have professional boards for a lot of different things but what are they really for and who gets on the boards?  
I was looking at the professional counselors and therapists and they say:  "Welcome to the Maryland State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists. The Board operates under the Maryland Professional Counselors and Therapists Act, Health Occupations Article, Title 17, Annotated Code of Maryland. The Board is the licensing authority of professional counselors and therapists in the State of Maryland. The Board is mandated to regulate the practice of counseling and therapy by licensing and certifying qualified counselors and therapists, adopting a code of ethics, establishing fees, promulgating regulations for the practice of professional counseling and therapy, verification of credentials, issuance of licenses, establish requirements for and verification of completion of continuing education, investigation of complaints based on alleged violations of regulations and statutes, create committees to advise the Board on special issues and submit an annual report to the Governor and Secretary."  
It looks like most of their board members are professionals themselves.  Do you think it is fair to have the same people who sexually exploit their patients to be the ones to decide the course of action to others?  Do you think they are above the law?  Who is above them?  Who do you go to when they don't do what they are suppose to do?
There have been board members who have been the ones who have sexually exploited their patients.  There have been boards who hide the fact that the people they over see have done something wrong.  They have dragged their feet on doing what is right for the victims.  Some boards have even broke the law by not reporting crimes to the proper authority.
Do they have anyone to answer to for what they do or don't do?  Are there really standards for these boards?  Shouldn't they be held accountable for allowing a professionals to keep their licenses and then hurt other clients?
What has to be done to change this broken system?  Why should these people be the ones in charge, when they don't care or don't do what they are suppose to do?  Do we really want them to be the ones in charge of making decisions on other professionals who have sexually exploited their clients?
It needs to change.