The Centres of Excellence aim to answer the Home Secretary’s call for challenging alternatives to custody and present community sentencing and offer an opportunity for redemption and therefore a real opportunity to make a positive long-term contribution to society. They will focus on the identified priority individuals, including serving low-tariff prisoners, those at risk of offending, ex-offenders and those serving Community Sentences

Fundamental financial capability training, developed with offenders, for offenders

Ex-offenders and their families face huge discrimination, particularly in gaining employment and accessing financial services. UNLOCK is working with the Equalities Review Commission to establish protection from discrimination due to a past criminal conviction or because someone with a conviction lives in your home

The 12 month pilot study carried out by UNLOCK in partnership with HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland), the Home Office, HMP Coldingley and HMP Cookham Wood, to provide access to bank accounts to support resettlement

There are 7.3 million people in the UK with criminal convictions. Those with unspent convictions find it impossible to secure insurance for their home, their vehicle or their business

Convicted prisoners in the UK are ‘disenfranchised’ by a blanket ban on voting in national and local elections. There is a significant campaign to overturn the ban, which breaches the European Convention on Human Rights, as has occurred in many other countries.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA)launched a consultation on prisoner voting. This is our response

UNLOCK wants to see the establishment of a Criminal Records Tribunal (CRT), sitting at local magistrates courts where ex-offenders would be able to apply to have their convictions classed as spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants would need to prove to the Tribunal that they have genuinely changed their way of life.

Over 100,000 prisoners are discharged from our prisons each year, and each is sent back into society with a discharge grant of £46 with which they must live on for several weeks.

The Centre for Education Research and Development (CRED) is delighted to be working in partnership with UNLOCK, Parc Prison, Bridgend Borough Council and others on the production of the pre-release handbook and video. This is supported by the European Social Fund.

A 12-month programme of work to identify and develop opportunities for offenders, ex-offenders and their families to contribute to the design and delivery of services and policies that affect them; and to make recommendations to policy makers, opinion formers and criminal justice organisations about promoting and implementing these.