Please sign our petition to make it a legal requirement for the government to sponsor reintegration services (e.g., career counselling, psychological counselling, job training) in Canada for those who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime they did not commit and wish to use these services!

A wrongful conviction occurs when an innocent individual is sent to prison for a crime that they did not commit. Although some people may be skeptical about wrongful convictions occurring in Canada, it is important to note that Innocence Canada alone as aided in the successful exoneration of 23 Canadians. However, the actual number may be much higher as individuals may find other means of exoneration.

Currently, there is no legal requirement for the government to sponsor reintegration services, such as career counselling, psychological counselling, and job training, for Canadian exonerees. This is an incredibly devastating fact given that those who have been wrongfully convicted often spend years, if not decades, in prison for crimes that they did not commit.

Wrongfully convicted individuals have been subjected to the trauma of prison life, in addition to having been taken from their homes, loved ones, and jobs. This experience can have a large negative impact on their psychological well-being, which may require psychological counselling that is difficult to access. Being able to access government-sponsored psychological counselling would greatly benefit those exonerees who are struggling to reintegrate back into society.

Additionally, research has shown that exonerees are often stigmatized by potential employers, often making it difficult to find a job after their exoneration. Government-sponsored careering counselling and job training would be a great benefit for exonerees who experience issues in reintegrating back into the work force.