Monthly summary – March 2021

Welcome to our monthly summary for March 2021.

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. discussions on our online forum
4. other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record

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Updates to our information site

Here’s a summary of the updates we’ve made to the information hub. There are links within each update to where you can find more information.

Work and volunteering

• Applying for a job with probation? Do you know what you need to disclose? – The Probation Workforce Strategy 2020-2023 sets out the commitment made by HMPPS to enhance their recruitment approach to attract candidates with broad and varied life experiences. Our latest advice post sets out what applicants should (and should not) disclose when applying for a probation officer role.
• Self-disclosure statements – We’ve updated this page to include an example of how to disclose a conviction for a sexual offence.
• Gambling licence (known as a Personal Functional Licence) – As a result of changes made to the Gambling Commission website, we’ve updated some of the information and links on this page.

Sexual offences

• Sexual offence convictions: what you need to know – There are many misconceptions around convictions for sexual offences, especially relating to their disclosure to employers, insurers etc. We’ve published some new information designed to raise awareness of the things individuals might need to know during the various stages of the criminal justice system.

Coming to (and staying) in the UK

• Applying for settled status if you’re an EU citizen and travelling to Europe – We’ve written a further article for Insidetime which provides information on making a settled status application whilst you are in prison.

theRecord posts

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

Success – Knowledge and enthusiasm enabled me to appeal my court order – “Approximately eight years ago I received a six-month suspended sentence for a downloading offence and, along with this came an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) …..”

Struggles and stigma – The hopelessness of IPP sentences – “I was sentenced to five years in prison following my involvement in a tax fraud. I’d never been in any trouble with the police prior to this and the conviction came about due to some really bad business decisions I’d made. However, whatever the reason I’d still broken the law and it was right that I was punished …..”

Discussions on our online forum

Below are links to recent posts on our online forum. If you’d like to join the discussion but are not currently a forum member, find out how you can join here.

Anyone applied to work for probation? – M15788 has recently been considering applying for a job with the Probation Service but was concerned to see the advertisement state that applicants needed to “pass a DBS check”. Has anybody applied for a job with probation? Were you refused because you had an unspent conviction?

Applying for a B2 tourist visa – Fazz84 is hoping to travel to the USA later this year and would be interested in hearing from anybody who has been through the visa application process.

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.

New report highlights impact of criminal records on women

We’ve published a new report, “Angels or witches”: the impact of criminal records on women which brings together the voices and experiences of women with a criminal record and examines the barriers faced by them when accessing employment.

An insight into Northern Ireland’s consultation on spending periods

We have been following a consultation undertaken by the Northern Irish government on changing the rehabilitation periods for criminal offences. Unlock’s Policy Officer, Sam Doohan sets out his thoughts on the possible impact of any changes.