NCJ Number
69652
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1980) Pages: 343-353
Date Published
1980
Length
11 pages
Annotation
A total of 200 Nova Scotia companies are surveyed with regard to their policy of hiring ex-offenders.
Abstract
The questionnaire, which was returned by only 74 companies, explored the type of information companies demanded of job applicants, additional checks made on prospective employees, and company attitudes towards offenders pardoned under the Canadian Criminal Records Act. The analysis of results indicated that only 22 of the responding companies asked about prior criminal records on a regular basis. Further questions or checks were used mainly by those 22 companies. Although all companies except 6 expressed a willingness to consider hiring a previously convicted applicant, only 28 companies would consider a convicted thief and 24 would consider an applicant showing an assault conviction. The pardon, which officially removes all legal disabilities to which ex-offenders are subject and is intended to reduce discrimination against a pardoned offender, had a somewhat positive influence on an ex-offender's employment opportunities, since five employers who would not consider an applicant convicted for theft or assault would do so if he had been pardoned. However, 1 in 3 personnel managers, including those employed by 12 of the largest companies in the sample, had never heard of the pardoning procedure. This finding, coupled with the hesitancy of employers to hire offenders regardless of a pardon, suggests a need for an education campaign by the Canadian National Parole Board, if pardons are to be of increasing assistance to job-seeking ex-offenders. The article includes tabular data and 18 references. A summary in French is provided.