Criminal records charity launches website to help employers recruit people with convictions

Unlock, the country’s leading charity for people with convictions, today launches a unique website to encourage and support companies to recruit people with criminal records.

Over 10.5 million people in the UK have a criminal record and many face stigma and discrimination when applying for work, despite having put the past behind them. Unlock’s work with employers over many years has highlighted the significant business benefits of employing people with convictions. Yet recruiters often struggle to understand complex criminal record disclosure legislation and don’t know what they can and can’t do, with policies and processes that often discourage applicants. Although nine out of ten employers have said that they’re open to the idea of recruiting people with convictions, in practice less than 20% say they have knowingly done so.

The new website aims to deal with this by:

1. Supporting employers in recruiting people with convictions
2. Helping companies to deal with criminal records fairly
3. Sharing good practice (such as Ban the Box)
4. Providing free guidance and tools
5. Showing what other employers are doing

Read the full press release.