Re/Thinking Justice Series
Housing Report
Why so many Ontario prisoners end up homeless report finds that in 2023–24 alone, over 7,400 releases from Ontario’s provincial jails had no fixed address, representing roughly 10 percent of Ontario’s unhoused population of 80,000. This report identifies key issues contributing to homelessness among formerly incarcerated people and practical solutions to address those challenges. The report’s achievable recommendations were informed by consultations with over 40 experts, including people with lived experience of incarceration and homelessness, service providers, advocates, and legal professionals.
Employment Report
Employment is one of the most important protective factors in reducing reoffending, yet current legislative policies and practices allow for the arbitrary and routine exclusion of Ontarians with criminal records from the labour market.
This report outlines recommendations to remove roadblocks and systemic barriers, allowing job seekers with criminal records in Ontario to meaningfully provide for themselves and their families. Based on consultations with experts, including people with lived experience, service providers, lawyers and policy professionals, the following key issues and recommended solutions are outlined.
Remand Report
This report provides practical, targeted solutions to reform the bail system shaped by key actors including police services, lawyers and service providers. Through informed, collaborative dialogue, this report outlines opportunities to reduce pressures on the police, courts and correctional systems in Ontario by strengthening the pathways to care and support for individuals impacted by poverty, mental health challenges, and addictions, allowing the system to focus its finite resources on serious cases as it was designed to do, while at the same time enhancing public safety.
