What we do
Unlock is an independent award-winning national charity that provides a voice and support for people with convictions who are facing stigma and obstacles because of their criminal record, often long after they have served their sentence.Firstly, we help people. We provide information, advice and support to people with convictions, including running an information site and confidential peer-run helpline. We help practitioners support people with convictions by providing criminal record disclosure training. And we support employers and universities in treating people with criminal records fairly.
Secondly, we advocate for change, working at policy level to address systemic and structural issues. We listen to and consult with people with criminal records, undertake research and produce evidence-based reports to inform policy makers and the public. We challenge bad practice, influence attitudes and speak truth to power. We co-founded and support the Ban the Box campaign and we are pushing to wipe DBS checks clean of old/minor criminal records.
Please help us
There are over 11 million people in the UK with a criminal record.Unlock helps people overcome past difficulties and move forward with hope to make a positive contribution to society.
There are a number of ways to support us. HELP US NOW! Thank you.
Latest news
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Big news! Two new job vacancies at Unlock
We’re excited to announce two new job vacancies. We’re looking for ambitious, creat...
May 2020 update on research understanding the influence of an early life criminal record on adult life courses
Nicola Collett, a PhD student at Keele University, is currently researching the potential influ...
What’s the impact of Covid-19 on people with criminal records?
Covid-19 and the social distancing measures introduced to help control it are creating challeng...
Spring 2020 Newsletter – What we’ve been up to
Today we’ve published our spring 2020 newsletter. The newsletter provides an update of th...
Find out more about our response
Our response to Covid-19
Like every person and every organisation, we’re changing how we do things in response to the Covid-19 virus and we’ll keep this page updated with developments.
Click here to find out more about #FairChecks
#FairChecks movement
Do you support a fresh start for our criminal records system? Join the #FairChecks movement to help push for reform.
Find out more about this ruling
Supreme Court rules criminal record regime disproportionate
We intervened in a Supreme Court case which challenged the government's approach to disclosing old and minor criminal records on standard and enhanced checks issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Find out the latest on this here.
See how you can help us in our policy and campaign work
Help us with our policy and campaign work
We're looking for evidence to support key policy issues we're working on, including wiping DBS checks clean of old/minor records, employers that carry out ineligible checks, and the 'google effect'. There are other ways to help too, including writing to your MP and donating to us. See how you can help and get involved.
Visit the information site
The country's most comprehensive source of practical self-help information for people with convictions on a wide range of issues that criminal convictions can affect
Visit the disclosure calculator
An online tool that works out when your convictions are spent and so don't need to be disclosed to most employers and insurers
Visit the online magazine
The online magazine for law-abiding people with convictions - share news, views and personal stories about life with a conviction
Find out more about our helpline
We give confidential peer advice by telephone, email and other ways. We focus on helping people overcome the effects of their criminal record.
Visit the online forum
A self-supporting community for law-abiding people with convictions - share information, advice and experience on moving on with a criminal record.