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Working to confront the collateral harm caused by the criminal justice system.

The impacts of an interaction with the criminal justice system are rarely confined to the criminal justice process. An increasing number of employers, volunteer organizations, and service providers are asking individuals to undergo a criminal record check, creating significant barriers to employment, housing, education, and other forms of meaningful community engagement. In some parts of Canada, a single interaction with police during a mental health crisis is sufficient for a person to have a ‘police record’ that can then be disclosed to their child’s school or their employer. You can read more about our past work on non-conviction police records, and the damage caused by disclosing this information, at www.ccla.org/recordchecks.

Our Work in Criminal Records and Collateral Consequences

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CCLA intervening in major case on police background checks at Court of Appeal for Ontario

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has granted leave to intervene to the CCLA in…
February 15, 2024

Court agrees with CCLA that police background checks require oversight

On February 27, 2023, the Divisional Court in Ontario released its decision in Khorsand v.…
March 9, 2023

A Victory at the Supreme Court for Evidence-Based Criminal Law

On October 28 the Supreme Court released its decision in R. v. Ndhlovu. The decision…
October 28, 2022

Quebec Organizations Join the Call for Federal Criminal Record Reform

The Fresh Start Coalition, which includes the CCLA, announced today that several leading Quebec organisations…
February 22, 2022

Standing up for informational privacy and evidence-based criminal law

This week, CCLA is appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada to defend robust protection…
February 10, 2022

CCLA joins over 60 civil society organizations to call for criminal record reform

On November 17, the CCLA joined with dozens of other organizations to urge the federal…
November 17, 2021

CCLA to Appear Before Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in Police Background Checks Case

Thairu Taban and Josslyn Mounsey were hired by Metrolinx as Transit Safety Communications Operators. They…
June 29, 2021

CCLA Criminal Record Survey

Do you have a criminal record or police record? Have you tried to get a…
May 31, 2021

A Victory for Justice and Equality: SCC Finds Ontario Law Discriminates Based on Mental Disability

In a strong decision released today, the Supreme Court of Canada has decided that Ontario’s…
November 20, 2020

WHAMMY! Supreme Court of Canada Strikes Down Canada’s Ugliest Populist Criminal Law

It’s not everyday that civil libertarians hit a home run in the Supreme Court of…
December 14, 2018

Blowing the Whistle on Saskatoon’s Proposed Rules for Rideshares and Taxis

This morning we wrote to Saskatoon’s Mayor and City Council to share our concerns about…
December 14, 2018

New Act Protects Ontarians From Release Of Unproven Allegations

Across the country, Canadians who have never been found guilty of a crime are unable to…
December 13, 2018

Ontario Leads The Way On Police Record Checks Reform

On November 1, 2018, the Police Records Checks Reform Act (PRCRA) comes into force.
November 1, 2018
Know your rights

What You Need To Know About The New Police Record Checks Reform Act

On November 1, 2018, the Police Records Checks Reform Act (PRCRA) comes into force. Police record checks…
November 1, 2018

When a Criminal Record Becomes a Life Sentence: John Howard Society of Ontario

(Toronto, ON) Today the John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO) revealed the hidden but ruinous…
February 21, 2018
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