‘Beyond McCarthyism’: Outrage follows Star probe of police record checks that reveal meritless allegations

[UnfoldingSky]

http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2014/05/18/beyond_mccarthyism_outrage_follows_star_probe_of_police_record_checks_that_reveal_meritless_allegations.htmlhttp:

 

By: Robert Cribb Foreign, Published on Sun May 18 2014

 

Hundreds of Ontarians lashed out Saturday against the routine disclosure of unproven allegations, mental health incidents and secret surveillance notes in police background checks.

 

Those whose lives and careers have been ruined by having so-called non-conviction records handed to prospective employers were outraged, as well as lawyers who see such cases every day, and volunteer organizations that wrestle with the implications.

 

Together, they formed a consensus that legislative reform is needed.

 

“This is a total repudiation of the presumption of innocence, a gross distortion of the right to privacy, and demonstrates a mindset that the police can blackball anyone they choose,” said John Struthers, a veteran Toronto criminal lawyer and provincial director of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.

 

“It is beyond McCarthyism, as the victims don’t even get any opportunity to defend themselves … This issue is a huge concern.”

 

The public outrage — including more than 150 messages posted on thestar.com and nearly another 100 emails and phone calls — came in response to a Saturday Star investigation. It found that hundreds of thousands of Canadians never found guilty of a crime are vulnerable to having their future derailed by disclosure of non-conviction records, such as withdrawn charges, mental health incidents and routine contacts with police.

 

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and the John Howard Society of Ontario also issued reports on the issue Saturday, and wrote a joint letter to the four provincial parties seeking political response on the issue.

 

More at above link...

 

[UnfoldingSky]

Also at the above link is a petition regarding this issue.