CPSP’s Impact in Outaouais
The CPSP fights to destigmatized clients with criminal records, as well as the stigma they face, in order to improve their employability and facilitate their sustainable integration or reintegration into the regular job market.
Of the individuals who received our service, 74% are without income or on welfare. Their average education level is secondary II, while a minimum of secondary V is required for several jobs. Less than 10% of clients have a college or a university degree. The clients’ average age is 39 years, but they are difficult to hire. Because of the criminal record, they face tremendous difficulties in finding a job and/or keep it.
Despite our client’s rather dark past, we annually welcome 380 clients, of which 200 are hired, and 20 go back to school to improve their employability. The CPSP does not wait for inmates to be released of prison to help them.
Our job counsellor in a correctional environment works with clients in custody to maximize their chances of getting a job when released. When a client is released from prison, a community liaison officer accompanies them to meet a job counsellor. The community liaison officer also helps them with some useful processes towards their social reintegration.
A business intermediary helps our job counsellors and our clients by raising awareness among the region’s employers about the need to hire people with criminal records. A guidance counsellor is also available to guide our clients towards a career choice or go back to school.
The CPSP’s involvement in the community is concrete. Some of our partners, Emploi-Québec and the correctional services of Canada and Quebec, all agree that clients with criminal records who include jobs in their social reintegration process are more productive and less likely to reoffend.
In order to improve the chances of job integration, the CPSP helps eligible clients in applying for a record suspension to the Parole Board of Canada, free of charge.
The CPSP also works with partner organizations by providing practical workshops supported by certificates allowing participants to become trainees (painters, carpenters, or joiner) for a better social and community reintegration.