When Roy’s son was convicted of a criminal offence, it was the first time that any member of his family had experienced the criminal justice system.
The conviction impacted on every member of his family and there were many times when they felt demoralised with little hope for the future. They could see no end to the issues that they were constantly coming up against and there seemed to be something new every week.
Roy found it difficult to get answers to his questions from the police, probation or his son’s solicitor and the information he did get was often confusing or conflicted with something he’d been told by somebody else.
As time went on, Roy’s son became more and more depressed and unwell and Roy was sure that finding a job and having some purpose to his life would be the only way of improving his son’s mental health. After speaking to his probation officer about disclosing his criminal record, his son was told that due to the nature of the offence he would have to disclose it forever and it would be extremely difficult for him to find work.
At a loss as to what they should do, Roy started to look online for some information around the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and found a link to Unlock’s disclosure calculator. Inputting the date of the conviction together with the details of the disposal, Roy was surprised to learn that his son’s conviction would be spent the following year at which time, he would have no need to disclose it for the majority of jobs.
Roy said:
“The disclosure calculator has given us hope. I’ll be able to sleep tonight and we’re now going to try and heal our family. Hopefully we’ll have a decent shared meal and sit around the table without bitterness and fear.”
Lessons
As Roy and his family have discovered, the information and advice provided to individuals following their conviction can be confusing if indeed, it is available. Knowing his son’s conviction would be spent after a year has given the whole family a reason to look towards the future more positively.
Links
Notes about this case study
This case study relates to our disclosure calculator.
Names and details have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.