Monthly summary – August 2016

Welcome to our monthly summary for August 2016.

This provides a summary of:

1. the latest updates to our self-help information site for people with convictions
2. recent posts to our online magazine, theRecord
3. other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record

Have you just stumbled across this? You can receive these updates direct to your inbox every month for free by signing up to our mailing list (make sure you choose to receive ‘news for people with convictions’)

Updates to our information site

Here’s a summary of the updates that we’ve made recently to the theInformationHub. There are links within each update to where you can find more information about the update. There are also links next to many of the updates, which link to threads on our online forum where you can discuss these with other people with convictions. 

Understanding your criminal record

• Retention and deletion of police cautions and convictions – Our helpline receives many calls from individuals enquiring about the removal of cautions and convictions from the Police National Computer. We’ve updated our information, setting out the process which needs to be followed when applying to have cautions/convictions removed and the likely chances of success.

Work and volunteering

• How to explain gaps in your CV as a result of a criminal record – We’ve produced some new information which looks at ways of dealing with gaps in your employment history which have come about as a result of a criminal record.
• Answering the question ‘Have you ever been dismissed or subject to disciplinary action?’ – If you’ve ever been dismissed as a result of a criminal record you may worry that questions about your dismissal will flag up your conviction once it becomes spent. We’ve produced some advice which sets out ways in which the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act can help to overcome this.

Insurance

• List of brokers – We’ve updated our list of brokers who are able to offer insurance to people with convictions.

theRecord posts

Below are links to recent posts to our online magazine, theRecord. These are often linked to from the practical information that we have, to help give some personal experiences.

Success – I didn’t know the real sentence would start after leaving prison – ‘I’ll start this with the following statement; If someone had told me I’d have a criminal record and get a prison term three years ago, I’d have laughed …..’

Success – Celebrating the achievement of an outstanding learner – ‘The Festival of Learning which took place in June, is the biggest national celebration of lifelong learning in England. Each year, ahead of the Festival an awards ceremony is hosted (The Inspire Awards) to celebrate the achievements of outstanding learners who’ve shown exceptional passion, commitment and drive for learning, often in the face of difficult circumstances. This year the ‘Overall Learner of the Year Award’ and the ‘Into Work’ category was won by James Harris – what’s so outstanding about James is that he spent half of his adult life in prison …..’

Success – A lifetime of helping people – don’t hold this one mistake against me – ‘My life hasn’t always been easy. I’ve seen some real tragedy; not least my husband’s suicide which then led to my receiving a criminal record …..’

Other news and developments

Below are links to other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record. For more news, check out the news and media section of our main website.

Our response to the Charity Commission consultation on power to disqualify from acting as a trustee

In May 2016, the Charity Commission launched a consultation on power to disqualify from acting as a trustee. We’ve worked closely with the Prison Reform Trust and Clinks and this month we set out our concerns to the Commission about the Act and it’s potential impact on people with criminal records and the charities which work with or employ them. Download our submission here.

Appeal against High Court ruling on disproportionate criminal record disclosure scheme scheduled

Since the High Court ruling in January which found that the current criminal record disclosure scheme for standard/enhanced checks was disproportionate, we’ve been asked what would happen next. The Government has appealed the High Court ruling and the case is listed to be heard in February 2017. Find out further information here.

Online reporting of convictions and why some people with convictions change their name

Christopher Stacey took part in a BBC Three Counties Radio programme about the effect of the reporting of convictions online and why people with convictions change their name. Listen to the programme here.

Our updated forum is live – take a look!

Following work to update our forum which started in April last year, our updated forum has now gone live. Find out more about how it could benefit you.