Overview:

Many people believe that once an individual has completed a jail or prison sentence, they are able to walk away and leave the experience behind them. However, this is far from reality. Any adult convicted of an offence in Canada incurs a criminal record, which can follow them indefinitely. An individual with a criminal record can face many challenges including access to housing, education, and training and volunteer opportunities. To better understand the impact of police records on employment in New Brunswick, the John Howard Society of Southeastern New Brunswick (JHSSENB) replicated a survey conducted by the Centre of Research, Policy & Program Development (the Centre) at the John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO), to explore the hiring practices and policies of employers across the province (n=34). The research, supported through funding from the New Brunswick Law Foundation, contributes to the understanding of the impact of police records on employment opportunities and community reintegration in Canada.

Resources

Research Highlights

0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEY REQUIRED POLICE BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR ALL NEW EMPLOYEES
0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEY USED POLICE BACKGROUND CHECKS AS A LIABILITY/RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS.
0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEY DO NOT PAY FOR THE COST OF A POLICE BACKGROUND CHECK.
0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT HIRE AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A RECORD REGARDLESS OF TYPE/AGE OF OFFENCE OR EMPLOYMENT POSITION
0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE NEVER KNOWINGLY EMPLOYED AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD.
0%
OF EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT THEIR EXPERIENCE HIRING A PERSON WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD WAS THE SAME AS HIRING OTHER EMPLOYEES WITHOUT CRIMINAL RECORDS.

PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING POLICE RECORD CHECK:

COMPANY POLICY 33%
LIABILITY/RISK MANAGEMENT 28%
BILL 168 21%

REASONS FOR HIRING A PERSON WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD:

OFFENSE WAS NOT RELEVANT TO THE POSITION 35%
GOOD OR TRUSTED REFERRAL 32%
INDIVIDUAL HAD THE NECESSARY SKILLS FOR THE POSITION 26%
OFFENSE WAS OLD (I.E. MORE THAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO) 23%

ELEMENTS THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE EMPLOYERS TO HIRE YOUNG PERSONS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS:

IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL WORKPLACE/SOFT SKILLS/ATTITUDE 42%
FUNDING INCENTIVES 39%
CHANGES IN LEGISLATION REGARDING EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG PERSONS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS 39%
MORE SUPPORTS FOR EMPLOYERS (HIRING BEST-PRACTICES TOOLKIT, RECRUITMENT TRAINING, JOB COACH, ETC.) 30%

Recommendations

Improved education and awareness for employers regarding issues related to criminal record checks, including recruitment and hiring best-practices, reliability of record checks, and retention of employees with criminal records.

Improved education and access to resources for individuals with conviction and non-conviction records, including job searching with a criminal record, disclosure of record, and understanding one’s individual rights and protections.

Follow the lead of other provinces by strengthening Human Rights protection for individuals with conviction and non-conviction records in New Brunswick through advocacy and legislation change.

Further research is needed to understand the impact of police records on New Brunswickers’ employability; the intersection of police records and race, gender, poverty, and other social factors; and, the potential impact of hiring incentives and other program initiatives to improve the hiring of individuals with records in New Brunswick.