NON-CONVICTION
RECORDS IN POLICE
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Graeme Norton
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
RightsWatch 2011
The Issue
Police background checks can include non-conviction
records retained by police
Non-conviction records fundamentally different than
convictions; can imply guilt even though it has not been
proven
Can become as much a part of one’s “criminal history”
as a conviction
Broader context of informational profiling – once you
become a “profile” that profile can be very hard to
change
The Process
1.) Employer or agency requires police check as part of application process
2.) Applicant is responsible for obtaining background check from police
Common purposes include: employment, volunteering, adoption, foster care, travel, educational practicum
Must provide “consent” to police service to disclose personal information in check
3.) Police search national and local databases; include “relevant” information in
background check
Criminal convictions if pardon not granted
Outstanding charges, warrants, peace bonds, probation
Non-conviction dispositions: Withdrawals, Stays of proceedings, Acquittals, Not Criminally Responsible
Occurrence reports and “other police contact information”
4.) Applicant provides completed background check to employer or agency
5.) Removal/destruction requests
Ad hoc, by request
no requirement to notify affected persons the records exist or how to seek their destruction
Determined by internal policies of police services – some consistent, some patchwork
Decision makers have significant discretion
Rationales for Disclosing NonConviction Records
Public protection - screening out potentially dangerous
people
Different uses of records - Police may have valid reasons for
retaining internal-use records, but different considerations apply when
disclosing these records
Liability – reducing risk of liability for actions of
employees, volunteers, etc.
Privacy Concerns
Employer/Agency confusion
Employers may not fully understand distinctions between different types of police information
Database entries only snippets of information; do not tell the full story
Non-conviction records may be misconstrued as a clear indication of criminal conduct.
Assumption of guilt
Employers and agencies may assume that non-convicted individuals are guilty, and were only not convicted
because of the high standard of proof in criminal cases, the exclusion of illegally obtained evidence, etc.
Unfettered police discretion to determine what is disclosed
Policy frameworks generally provide limited guidance as to what information is to be considered “relevant”
Inconsistencies in what is disclosed
Many potentially affected
Approximately 125,000 non-conviction records created each year as a result of charges that are withdrawn,
stayed, or result in an acquittal
Number of records created about police interactions that do not result in charges unknown
The Result? Privacy invasions and denial of opportunities
Individual Examples
T.S.
Charged with assault in context of domestic dispute, conditional discharge
Regularly required police checks as part of nursing school practicum, career
Inconsistent disclosure of charge, depends on who is reviewing application
J.S.
Previously arrested, but never charged
Worked in police records field, but unable to determine whether record could be disclosed
J.N.
Charged with assault, family dispute, charges withdrawn
Charge disclosed in background check in spite of repeated requests to remove it, trouble finding employment
Successfully obtained court order for removal of charge from background checks
Mental health records
Detentions, incident reports can be disclosed
Some success: Ontario Chiefs of Police recently agreed to stop disclosing non-criminal mental health information
Lois Kamenitz – suing Toronto Police Service for disclosing a past suicide attempt to American border authorities
Limited Statutory Framework
Federal and provincial privacy legislation
No limitations placed on retention, disclosure permitted with “consent” of applicant
voluntariness of consent questionable
Criminal Records Act
Absolute discharges, one year
---
Conditional discharges, 3 years
Silent on other non-conviction records (i.e. withdrawn charges, stays of proceedings) which do not involve findings
of guilt
Youth Criminal Justice Act
Prohibits disclosure of some non-conviction records after specified time periods
requires the destruction of most non-conviction youth records after certain times have elapsed (acquittals,
withdrawn charges, stays, discharges)
Human Rights legislation
varies across jurisdictions
Yukon expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of charges that did not lead to convictions
BC Code has been interpreted as prohibiting discrimination on basis of non-conviction records
Ontario Code has been interpreted as silent on the issue
Limited Jurisprudence
Tadros v. PRPS
Childcare worker, charged with several sex offences, charges withdrawn, entered into a peace bond
Sought an Order for the removal of the withdrawn charge from police background checks
Argued that disclosure had breached provincial privacy legislation because his “consent” was neither informed nor voluntary
Ontario Court of Appeal found that Mr. Tadros’ consent was informed
Court also found that consent was voluntary
“that a person effectively must consent to a Vulnerable Persons Search in order to apply for certain types of jobs may be
perceived as coercive and, in that way, possibly unfair”, BUT… employers involved with vulnerable persons need access to
information about prospective employees’ criminal histories
“in a case where withdrawn charges which were false are disclosed, the potential employee has the ability to
explain the circumstances to the proposed employer.”
J.N. v. DRPS
Charged with assault, family dispute, charges withdrawn, but disclosed in background checks
Exhausted internal avenues for destruction – sought Order for removal of record from future background checks
Successfully argued police had breached the common law duty of fairness by failing to provide a meaningful appeal
process, including criteria, and reasons
Also successfully argued that S. 7 rights breached
Inability to obtain employment in chosen field, having to rely on public assistance, damage to personal reputation can cause
psychological distress sufficient to breach security of the person rights
deprivation was inconsistent with the principles of fundamental justice due to the procedural fairness failings of the DRPS’
appeal process
Case Study: Alberta
Seven municipal police services, all of which may disclose non-conviction
records
Approximately 160,000 requests for background checks each year
Disclosure is based on “relevancy”, which is acknowledged to be “highly
subjective”
No specific criteria exist to resolve this subjectivity
No available data about number of checks that disclose non-conviction
records or types of records most frequently disclosed
Limited data about number of expungement requests – 144 in Edmonton in
2004, maybe 300-400 per year in province???
Onus on individual to apply for destruction
No clear process or criteria for assessment
Much Room for Improvement
Two Options
1.) No disclosure of non-conviction records
2.) Disclosure only in highly exceptional circumstances
Regular review and segregation of non-conviction records
Only disclosable in highly exceptional circumstances, where necessary to reduce an
immediate public safety threat
When a record is retained, the affected person should be immediately notified
Right of appeal in front of an independent adjudicator
Only disclosable in relation to activities that involve unsupervised access to children
or vulnerable adults
Background check not required until conditional offer of employment made
