Leading advocates and researchers describe how the legal profession can step up to help break down the unfair stigma of a criminal record
Background
4 million Canadians have a criminal record – that’s 1 out of every 9 people. The vast majority have struggled to overcome social disadvantages, have paid their debt to society, and are trying to build a productive future for themselves and their families.
It’s no surprise that getting a job is critical to effectively reintegrating into society after a period of incarceration. But here’s the problem: the stigma of having a criminal record leads many employers to simply shut the door. The chances of getting a job drop by more than 50% when you have a criminal record. If we allow a criminal record to be a lifetime sentence of marginalization and poverty, we’re not only failing our communities, we’re denying people the chance to build a better life.
This year, two new advocacy campaigns are aimed at breaking down the unfair stigma of a criminal record: the Fair Chance Hiring initiative and Record Suspension Reform.
Speakers
Abby Deshman
Abby Deshman is a lawyer and the Director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She also teaches at the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto, and is a Mentor with the Law Practice Program at Ryerson University. Previously, she served as a Corrections Advisor on the Ontario government’s Independent Review of Corrections and as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Abby is the author of numerous reports, articles and opinion pieces, her most recent work focuses on the bail system and police record checks. She currently co-leads a public advocacy campaign seeking the federal government to adopt a “spent” regime by which many criminal records would be automatically sealed after a certain period of time.
Kemi Anazodo
Kemi Salawu Anazodo is an Assistant Professor at the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. She holds a PhD in Human Resource Management from the School of Human Resource Management at York University and a Masters in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the Centre of Industrial Relations and Human Resources at University of Toronto.
Anazodo’s research focuses on stigma, identity, and the employment experience for marginalized populations. In particular, she is interested in individual experiences of employment post-incarceration and the processes involved in reintegrating individuals with an incarceration history into the workplace post-release.
Avery Au
Avery is a lawyer at the John Howard Society of Ontario where he leads the Fair Chance Hiring initiative. This public advocacy campaign is focused on enabling employers, HR professionals, and related businesses (like background check companies and job posting websites) to advance workplace equity while strengthening their bottom lines. In 2018, Avery founded the Law & Design CoLab – a nonprofit that unites professionals in design and creative strategy with justice advocates to develop impactful media campaigns. Avery has a JD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Samantha McAleese
Samantha McAleese is a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Carleton University. Her research examines the changes made to Canada’s pardon system and the impact of these changes on people with criminal records and the work of non-profit organizations that provide community-based supports. Her research is driven by her frontline experiences which indicate a growing need for community-based resources – especially as individuals become burdened by increasingly punitive criminal justice policies and structural stigma. Her latest publications can be found in Canadian Public Administration/Administration publique du Canada, The Canadian Review of Sociology / Revue canadienne de sociologie, and The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice.
