The Invisible Burden

JohnHoward SOCIETY OF ONTARIO John Howard Society of Ontario 2 ABOUT THE JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY OF ONTARIO The John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO) is a leading criminal justice organization advancing the mandate, “effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.” We work towards our mission through the delivery of services to those in conflict with the law and at-risk, both adult and y [...] Evidence-based services target the criminogenic risks and needs and the social determinants of health to ensure that the services are responsive to the specific client and their circumstances. [...] To empirically capture the negative effects of police records on the employment potential of Torontonians, the Centre of Research, Policy & Program Development (the Centre) at the John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO) conducted an in-depth survey and interviews with Toronto employers and a focus group with people with police records. [...] Findings from the research in Toronto are consistent with the Centre’s previous research, and in many cases, results indicated that the practice of police record checks and, by extension, the consequences, are more problematic in Toronto than the rest of Ontario. [...] The aim of the study was to examine whether the findings from Toronto were similar to the previous studies, and if so, how those findings should inform initiatives to mitigate the collateral consequences of having a police record.