If I chroot into a user-mode-linux image of a Gentoo system, than rc-status shows such an output although the process either isn't installed in the host system or is(/not) running at the host system. Reproducible: Always Expected Results: rc-status should not only grep the process list IMHO.
there's no reason for this. rc-status need only be concerned with its internal state. /proc/ is unreliable for the exact reason you quote -- chroots are easy to get screwed up.