Unlock speaks to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour about the launch of it’s #Fairchecks campaign

Together with the charity Transform Justice, Unlock has launched the #FairChecks movement to help push for a fresh start for the criminal records system. In this programme, Woman’s Hour’s Jenni Murray, talks to two women who have experienced problems with having to disclose their criminal records and to Unlock’s Policy & Practice Lead, Rachel Tynan.

Help us plan our future work

As a small charity rooted in the experiences of people with a criminal record, it’s really important that our work is shaped by the needs of the people that we exist to help. We are developing our plans for Unlock’s work in the next few years. We want to make sure that they reflect what
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Monthly update – January 2020

We’ve just published our update for January 2020. This months update includes:   A new ‘Do I need to disclose my criminal record?’ tool which aims to help individuals work out whether they need to disclose their criminal record . A personal story from an individual reflecting on their experiences since their conviction ten years

Interested in a funded PhD opportunity? New collaboration with The University of Nottingham

Criminal records can be a barrier to moving on in life in many ways and we often hear from people who have been rejected from university because of their past convictions, or who are put off applying for fear of rejection. Unlocking students with conviction, a year long project run by Unlock and supported by
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Blog – Join the #FairChecks movement to help get a fresh start for the criminal records system

In the 1960s, when Richard was 16, he was found in possession of a small amount of cannabis. He was prosecuted for possession and given a one-year conditional discharge. As a student a few years later, Richard got into trouble again and was convicted of taking an item of food from a warehouse where he
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Launch of #FairChecks – A fresh start for the criminal records system

Together with the charity Transform Justice, Unlock has launched the #FairChecks movement to help push for a fresh start for the criminal records system. Our outdated criminal records regime is holding hundreds of thousands of people back from participating fully in society. Even a minor criminal history can produce lifelong barriers to employment, volunteering, housing
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Winter 2019/20 Newsletter – What we’ve been up to

Today we’ve published our winter 2019/20 newsletter. The newsletter provides an update of the news at Unlock in the last three months. It’s sent to everyone who’s on our public mailing list, and we hope it’s a useful way of keeping up to date with what we’ve been up to. Read: Winter 2019/20 Newsletter  Previous

Monthly update – December 2019

We’ve just published our update for December 2019. This months update includes: New information on travelling to Russia with a criminal record. A personal story highlighting how an individual was dismissed from his job after his employers unlawfully became aware of his 31 year old criminal record. A link to a discussion on theForum around

We’ve updated our recruitment policy for applicants with a criminal record

As a charity set up by people with criminal records, Unlock is committed to fair recruitment and the inclusion of people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Our recruitment policy has helped us do that but we believe every organisation should regularly review their policies and practices to make sure they’re as effective

Looking back at 2019 – A month-by-month review of our work and criminal record developments

With the Christmas break almost upon us and 2019 coming to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on the last 12 months at Unlock and the developments relating to criminal records. Once again it’s been an incredibly busy year for us, with lots of positive news and progress to report in terms of

Monthly update – November 2019

We’ve just published our update for November 2019. This months update includes: Examples of templates which can be used to challenge an ineligible check being carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service. A link to a survey asking users of our Information Hub for their thoughts and opinions about the site. A personal story

Unlock Annual Report 2018-19

We are delighted to publish our Annual Report and Accounts for the year 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. Reviewing a whole year of activity can be a demanding process. Our activities are always taking us forwards, driving us on to the next challenge, so to take a step away, look back and reflect,