Commenting on today’s announcement (15 July) by the Ministry of Justice on plans to make changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Christopher Stacey, co-director of Unlock, said: “Unlock very much welcomes and supports today’s announcement by the Justice Secretary. If his commitment proceeds to statute, it will mean more people with criminal records

Unlock, the country’s leading charity for people with convictions, has today published research on the impact of criminal records as perceived by people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. New data in the report, Double discrimination?, shows that over three-quarters of people surveyed (78%) felt their ethnicity made it harder for them to

Today we’ve published research on the impact of criminal records as perceived by people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. New data in the report, Double discrimination?, shows that over three-quarters of people surveyed (78%) felt their ethnicity made it harder for them to overcome the problems they faced as a result of

Looking back over the last couple of months, we’ve written up a few examples of the people we’ve helped. We hope they give a good idea of how we help people. However, more importantly than our role, we think that these examples show how people with convictions are able to overcome some of the barriers

Our helpline was recently contacted by an individual who wanted to highlight a question being asked about criminal records by a professional body on their application form. The individual believed that this question was potentially very misleading as it asked: “Have you ever received a caution or conviction for a criminal record?” We informed the

Katie contacted our helpline for some advice around employment after she’d been cautioned by the police for common assault after ‘slapping’ her 7-year old son Jake. Katie explained that this incident had been completely out of character but Jake’s behaviour whilst out having a family meal had been terrible and had included him hitting and

Hilary contacted our helpline following an issue that her son Jack was having with his Public Protection Unit officer (PPU). Hilary explained that Jack had been convicted of a sexting offence in 2017 which resulted in him being put on the Sex Offenders Register and receiving a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Since his conviction

Gerry contacted our helpline for some advice around employment and, in particular, the pressure he was being put under by the police and probation to disclose his conviction to his employer, even though his employers had never asked him to disclose. Gerry explained that he’d been convicted of a sexual offence and although he’d never

Alan contacted our helpline after he’d received a letter from his local council following an application to go onto their housing register. The council had written to Alan asking him to provide proof of his convictions and stating that they would accept his Subject Access Request (SAR) as evidence. We advised him that requesting a

We’ve just published our update for June 2019. This months update includes: Some new information which aims to assist anybody travelling to the USA to identify whether their offence is a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude. An update on our page covering deportation due to a criminal record highlighting details of a successful Court of Appeal

Commenting on a report published today by Onward, Unlocking a Better life, Christopher Stacey, co-director of Unlock, said: “As things stand, although a prison sentence can end, the impact of a criminal conviction can be felt far beyond the conclusion of any sentence. People with convictions, and especially those leaving prison, face significant stigma and

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Advising with Conviction – Full-day Training Workshop Tuesday 24th September 2019 London| 9.30am – 4.45pm | From £119 per person – Book your place here Advising with Conviction – Full-day Training Workshop Tuesday 26th November 2019 London| 9.30am – 4.45pm | From £119 per person – Book