The prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among justice-involved populations is high, ranging from 35.7% to 88.0%. TBI is associated with a range of cognitive, behavioural, emotional, and communication challenges that complicate compliance with standard conditions of probation, parole, and pretrial supervision, such as orders to maintain reporting requirements, avoid particular people or places, abide by a curfew, abstain from substance use, attend treatment, find employment, and more generally, “obey all laws and be good.” Violations can perpetuate entanglement in the criminal justice system, including re-arrest and reincarceration. This presentation describes the preliminary findings of the Catch-22 study, the first qualitative study of the everyday challenges of complying with court-mandated supervision conditions among people with a history of TBI. A panel of community partners, including persons with lived expertise and community service providers, will discuss the implications of these findings in the context of their own experience and work.
Presented at the 2023 HSJCC Virtual Conference on November 16, 2023.
Presenters:
Dr. Flora Matheson
(She/Her)
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
Patricia Pagnani
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Toronto Bail Program
Katie Almond
Mary Crawford
VOLUNTEER
Mothers Offering Mutual Support
Anita Desai
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
St. Leonard’s Society of Canada (SLSC), Ottawa ON
Connie Coburn
SYSTEM NAVIGATOR – ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY
Home and Community Care Support Services Champlain
Veronica Pepper
ABI SYSTEM NAVIGATOR
Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant ABI Network
Linda Ogilvie
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE HEALTH CARE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS
Ministry of the Solicitor General
Dr. Arthur McLuhan
SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
