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For people with criminal records
For people with criminal records

Migrated From: The Record - Posts

The differing attitudes of employers towards criminal records makes securing a job even harder

Having received a particularly negative response to her criminal record from an employer (despite having worked for them on a temporary basis), Christine was on the verge of changing career. However, a more positive approach at her next interview convinced Christine that although the job she’d applied for was the same, the employer was very very different.

My criminal record didn’t look great. Nothing more than shoplifting convictions but there were a lot of them. I imagine I’d be referred to as a serial offender. I won’t go into the details of why I received so many, my story is probably similar to a lot of other peoples who have issues with drugs or alcohol. Stealing became my only way of maintaining my habit.

I was really lucky and with the support of some fantastic family, friends and professionals, managed to come through this difficult time in my life and cleaned myself up. I went back to college and did a health and social care qualification and before too long I’d managed to secure myself a temporary job as a support worker through an agency.

Disclosing to the agency was the first time I’d talked about my convictions and what had led me to get them and it was a horrendous experience. Surprisingly, the agency didn’t seem to have any problems with my convictions, they were far more impressed with what I’d achieved since.

I loved my job working with individuals who were experiencing real difficulties and being able to work with them to address the challenges they faced and reduce some of the problems and risks. Not only did I love the job but more importantly, I was good at it and this soon came to the attention of the employer who offered me a full time permanent position.

I was told that I’d have to have an enhanced DBS check done but I’d already had one through the agency and I was absolutely certain that they’d passed these details onto the employer before I started the temporary work. It transpired that this wasn’t the case.

As soon as I received my new DBS certificate I handed it over to my manager and was completely stunned when she told me to go wait in her office. I’d not been waiting long when she returned and told me that she was very sorry but due to the results of my enhanced check the permanent job offer was being withdrawn and I would have to leave the premises straight away. I tried to explain that I’d disclosed to the agency and had assumed that this information had been passed on. I’m pretty certain that she believed me but the company policy prevented her from employing me. I could see that she was embarrassed and upset about the situation, but not as much as I was.

For the next month I did nothing, I questioned whether I’d be able to continue working in this field or whether I should give up and turn my hand to something else. After seeking advice from friends and family I decided to give it one last shot and started applying for other support worker roles.

I was offered a couple of interviews and disclosed my convictions at both. I’d be lying if I said it was easier than the first time but it had to be done and the interview seemed the best time. Within a couple of weeks I’d been offered a job. I’d told the HR manager at the interview that I had a recent enhanced DBS certificate and she asked me if I could take it in to her. She also explained that she would be carrying out a risk assessment at the same time.

Following my previous experience I’d pretty much convinced myself that the job offer would be withdrawn and I prepared myself for an interrogation. As I sat in front of the HR manager I could feel my eyes welling up and my lips becoming dry but she told me to relax and just explain my convictions in my own words. She didn’t ask me any questions, just listened and, after my disclosure I saw her sign the form in front of her and then ask me when I could start work.

By Christine (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links

  1. Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  2. Information – We have practical self-help information on disclosing criminal records to employers
  3. Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions on disclosing criminal records to employers on our online forum.

I’m still struggling to get over my past but there’s help to improve my future – changes to filtering legislation

Although Helen has struggled to move on since receiving her convictions, she’s more hopeful that potential changes to the filtering process will improve her future opportunities.

 

 

I didn’t really get into trouble with the law during my ‘youth’. However, aged 14 I was arrested and received a caution. Thinking back, it was around this time that I started binge drinking which began to cause me some problems.

Smoking weed and drinking heavily at the weekends was pretty much the norm amongst the gang that I hung around with and by the time I was 19 a deep depression had overtaken me.

The black cloud of depression totally engulfed me; it was overpowering and frightening for a 19 year old and I knew that I had to seek help. A visit to my GP resulted in a prescription for anti-depressants but then the opposite happened. I was getting as ‘high as a kite’, overconfident and argumentative and the weekend drink binges just got completely out of control. The depression came and went, 6 months of highs followed by a dark depressive period.

My first conviction was for drink driving and taking without consent – I ‘borrowed’ my parents car. Another drunken incident resulted in a criminal damage conviction when a friend wouldn’t let me into her house.

But then came the conviction which had the greatest impact; assault on a police constable. What can I say, I was on a night out, drunk again and angry. No doubt I was being a bit of a nuisance and somebody called the police but when they turned up I resisted arrest and assaulted the police officer (I spat on his arm). I can’t excuse my behaviour but all I can say is that the year before I’d been diagnosed with bipolar and was under the care of the mental health team. My mind was not in a good place at the time this incident happened.

I’m repentant and ashamed about my past and although my criminal record isn’t extensive, it’s affected my self-esteem and mental health, thus impeding my whole life. So, why does my record bother me so much? It’s the conviction for assault that causes me the most problems especially if I’m applying for jobs which require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. The word ‘assault’ is so ambiguous and it would be a huge benefit if the DBS could provide more details on my certificate so that employers had a better understanding of what I did. There’s various levels of ‘assault’ and when I explain to an employer that I spat on a PC (not something I’m proud of) I’m not sure that they always believe what I’m telling them, as assault means something very different to them.

I’m sure that there are instances where this level of detail would work against some people but perhaps the DBS could make this an ‘optional extra’ on certificates.

Anyway, onto a better note. As you can see, my past has not been great but, finally, I’ve decided that I’m not going to allow the rest of my life to be dictated by mistakes made almost a decade ago. I’m a mum now and I’m in full time employment but I know that I want to go back into working with young people.

Honestly, my convictions still bother me a great deal and I do feel that certain jobs are out of reach. However, watching the news and getting updates from Unlock, I’ve realised that I’m not alone. Campaigning and change is happening and I’m much more positive about the possibilities for the future. Knowing that there are other people in the same boat as me has made me feel less like an alien and more worthy.

Let’s hope and pray that the work that’s being done around changing the filtering process pays off and can start to benefit people like me who have more than one conviction. Fair do’s, if you commit an offence you need to be punished but do we really need to be punished for life?

By Helen (name changed to protect identity)

 

A comment from Unlock

The government are now appealing the High Court’s recommendations around filtering with the case due to be heard in the Supreme Court in June 2018, with a final judgement expected later in 2018. We are intervening in the Supreme Court case in June this year which challenges the government’s approach to disclosing old and minor criminal records on standard and enhanced checks issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and we’re raising money now to pay for the legal costs that will help us to do this. If you’re interested in helping us with this, please visit our CrowdJustice page.

 

Useful links

  1. Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  2. Information – We have practical self-help information on filtering
  3. Discuss this with others – There are some interesting discussions on filtering on our online forum
  4. Policy – Read about the policy work we’re doing on challenging the DBS filtering process

Help Unlock challenge the government’s criminal records regime

On Wednesday, we launched a CrowdJustice appeal to help us raise money to pay for our legal costs in intervening in the Supreme Court next month.

In June, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal of the Government which is arguing that their current approach to disclosing old and minor criminal record on standard and enhanced DBS checks, often decades later, is fair. We disagree. In fact, a criminal record that someone gets in their youth can, in effect, be a life sentence of stigma and discrimination.

This is the first time in our 18-year history that Unlock has intervened in a legal case. We want to do this because we think the case is vitally important. 

 

Please help us!  

Supporting us now is a concrete way of standing up for people with old and minor convictions who are often silenced through the shame and stigma of their criminal record.

  • Donate £20, or any amount you can, at: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/clean-slate/
  • Share the link on Twitter, Facebook or with your colleagues and friends. You can use this post as a template:Someone who gets a minor criminal record in their youth shouldn’t pay for it for the rest of their lives. That’s why I’m supporting @unlockcharity’s appeal to raise money to challenge the government in the Supreme Court. Donate now here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/clean-slate/#CleanSlate

 

Why are we doing this?

Unlock has been granted permission by the Supreme Court to intervene in the case. We want to put forward strong arguments on behalf of everyone who is unfairly affected by the criminal records disclosure regime. We will make sure that the Supreme Court understands the importance of the issue, the failings of the current system, and how it could be changed for the better.

If we win, the Government will have to change the system of disclosing old and minor criminal records. This will give many thousands of people every year a fairer opportunity in applying for work or volunteering without the stigma and shame of having to disclose a mistake that they might have made decades earlier.

We need your help to make that happen. We’re raising money now to pay for the legal costs that will help us to do this. That’s why today we’ve launched this CrowdJustice appeal.

Please contribute whatever you can to help fund this vital case, and please share this page with family, friends and colleagues.

 

What’s the problem?

Cautions and convictions are disclosed on standard and enhanced DBS checks, even when they have become spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This is a problem for very many people; in 2015/16, more than 241,000 people had a caution or conviction included on an official disclosure from the DBS.

In the last 5 years alone, nearly half a million childhood convictions were disclosed that were from over 30 years ago from when the person was under 18. This represents almost half of all childhood convictions disclosed. Hundreds of thousands of people are being affected well into their 40’s as a result of mistakes they made when they were a child. 

We have all made mistakes and most of us have been fortunate enough not to be held back by them. But, not everyone is so lucky; where past mistakes are made in the sphere of criminal law they can – and do – haunt people for the rest of their lives. This can be the case even if the outcome at the time was just a ‘slap on the wrist’ from the police, such as a warning or a caution.

Take Michael (not his real name). When he was 17, Michael was convicted of theft of a coat from a market stall. He was fined £30. Ten months later, 23 days after turning 18, he was convicted of stealing a motor cycle and driving without insurance. He was fined £50 and sentenced to 24 hours at an attendance centre. That was 36 years ago; he’s come a long way since then. He’s now in his fifties. However, Michael’s long-forgotten past has come back to haunt him and he’s concerned about his work as a finance director. He could lose his job and a career that he’s worked hard for.

Then there’s Anita (not her real name). When she was 11, she was playing with a lighter in the girls’ bathroom at school and set a toilet roll alight causing around £100 of damage. She was arrested for Arson and told that the reprimand she was given would come off her record when she turned 19. Then after months of being bullied in secondary school, she was involved in a fight. She and the other pupil were both arrested for Actual Bodily Harm. She was encouraged by the police to accept a reprimand rather than challenge it in court and was told it would come off her record in five years. Now nearly in her thirties, she’s a qualified English teacher. However, not only was her record not removed like she was told it would be, but her two reprimands come up on enhanced DBS checks and will do under the current DBS rules for the rest of her life. The hopelessness of trying to find work has led her to working abroad and to bouts of depression and anxiety.

Under the current system, Michael & Anita’s criminal record will be disclosed for the rest of their lives. That’s what we’re trying to change.

It is time to stand up for people who are often silenced through the shame and stigma of their past. Donate now.

Thanks so much for your support!

Changing lives for the better through the power of football

 

This story has been adapted from the original which was published on thefa.com website and we’d like to thank Pete Bell for giving us his permission to use it.

 

I’d just come out of Lincoln prison after serving three-months of a six-month sentence. I was 26 years old and had always been trouble free, but I’d got into a relationship which had spiralled out of control – central to that was a custody battle. I was drinking heavily, got into crime, and my son had died during this time. My world had ended and after my release, I was unemployed.

I can still remember the turning point now. After seeing an advert at the Jobcentre, I enrolled on a training programme with Notts County’s ‘Football in the Community’ scheme and after spending six months doing my FA Preliminary Coaching Course, I knew it was exactly what I wanted; I’d found what I should be doing.

I stopped drinking, was crime-free and embraced education and here I am 22 years later with 18 qualifications, significant work experience and having travelled extensively as part of my work. I didn’t start coaching until I was 29, so I had to play catch-up but I’d say that was the age when I first really discovered education and how it could change lives for the better.

I’ve now been an FA coach mentor, working across Leicestershire and Derbyshire with various grassroots coaches and clubs, for the last four years after spending the previous 14 years as a coach, educator and delivering FA Level One qualifications. I’ve also worked in further education and recently, university football.

Earlier this year, I visited HMP Oakwood in Wolverhampton to do a bespoke coaching course for inmates to give them a flavour of what it means to be a coach.

I’ve always felt that football clubs have never done enough in prisons, and I wanted to do some more work in that area. With my background, it was brilliant for me to be able to spend one day a week at HMP Oakwood for seven weeks, working with 16 guys. The first thing I said to them was:

I was once sat where you are”

I felt proud to be able to say that, given how far I’ve come in the years since I was released. That got them onside straight away and I went on to work with the guys discussing the role of coach, the qualifications and opportunities that are on offer on the outside.

I have just set up a project called ‘Step Out, Stay Out’ and with the support of the Ministry of Justice and my local MP, I’d like to deliver coaching and training in more prisons. It’s a massive passion of mine to change the stigma around people who have made mistakes and perhaps haven’t had the support when they come out of prison and end up in that vicious circle of re-offending.

Through mentoring and football education, I believe we can help people to get the same sort of opportunities that I was offered to make a positive impact on the lives of others in the same situation and also improve the number and standard of coaching across England.

I’m very open to hear from any individuals or groups who may be able to enhance my passion to help make a difference. Thank you to all who have helped me, it’s been tough and is still tough but I’m not deterred.

By Pete Bell – FA Coach Mentor

 

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Why can’t our past mistakes be left in the past? The ongoing impact of a criminal record

For many people who receive a conviction, the fact that it impacts on so many areas of their life can come as a huge shock. Sammy has faced discrimination from employers and insurers and believes society and government should be doing more to help people move on from their past mistakes.

 

 

Last year I received a conviction for ‘making indecent images of children’. Having gone through the process of going to court, I had very little understanding of the resulting impact the conviction would have on my life.

I was dismissed from my job as a company director, neighbours that I’d always thought of as friends ostracised me and, my wife and I separated.

I’ve learnt to deal with the humiliation and embarrassment of having to declare what I’ve done to family and old friends. However, the real difficulty I’ve found is that it’s virtually impossible for me to find work. I’ve never been unemployed but since my conviction I can’t even seem to get myself an interview let alone a job offer.

The majority of employers and agencies ask applicants to disclose any unspent convictions and although I understand that it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to work with children, my conviction is not relevant to the work I once did.

One national recruitment agency told me that they would not accept any job application from me because of the sexual nature of my conviction. Others have said it would be difficult to place me. I suspect that of the agencies I’ve disclosed to, many have taken the decision not to share my CV with their clients.

I’ve also realised how easy it is for companies to carry out internet searches on my name which means they come across all the details of my case. I’ve started to think that these companies will then conveniently bin my application form. The problem is, I can’t ask them if they’re aware of my conviction just in case I draw their attention to it – a vicious circle.

I was recently offered a post in a retirement village run by a charity. I wasn’t asked about my conviction at the interview but once I’d been offered the role I disclosed my conviction on the very first day of work. Sadly, the Chief Executive decided that I was a reputational risk and my contract was terminated.

I’m so disappointed to find that even when my sentence is completed I’ll still face a life-time of punishment by society and I can see very little prospect of obtaining any kind of job in the field that I’ve previously worked in.

For me this means that I can’t contribute to the family finances which have dramatically increased due to the need for me to have alternative accommodation. I can’t pay towards the upkeep of my children and I’ll be unable to help them out when they go to university or want a car or help to buy a house. I’m unable to pay my taxes and once my savings have run out, I will become a burden on society.

In addition to this, I’ve recently had to renew my car insurance but because of my conviction many insurers increased my premium and one insurer refused completely to give me a quote. I can’t make out how my risk as a driver would increase due to a completely unrelated offence.

I don’t diminish in anyway the severity of my offence or other sexual offences but society seems to have gotten itself into a state of righteous indignation about anything sexual. Of course I accept that offenders need to be punished. But there has to be an end date for that punishment. A record may need to be kept forever by the police in case there is any re-offending in the future. But how much of this should be held confidentially and how much should be available for public scrutiny. I might have an opinion on this, but I’m just a lay-man, with a conflict of interest.

I consider myself a normal, law-abiding citizen the same as any other citizen. I got caught up in something I shouldn’t have but it was for a very short period of time. It was out-of-character and I took my own steps to remove myself from that behaviour long before the police knocked on my door.

If there’s any chance of change, then government needs to look into the practices of organisations who impose less advantageous terms on people with a criminal record, even when their offence has nothing to do with the service/product they’re looking for. We’ve paid the price for our mistakes, can’t we now just be left to move on.

By Sammy (name changed to protect identity)

 

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Being a ‘juvenile delinquent’ enabled me to get a visa to the USA!

Steve’s 25 year old criminal record had never really caused him any problems. However, finding out that his new job required him to travel to the USA on business made him question whether he’d be able to continue working for the company or whether he would have to resign.

 

25 years ago my life was very different to how it is now. To say I was a bad lad is a bit of an understatement; I’d received around 10 convictions before the age of 17 and been to a YOI twice.

It sounds horrendous when you see it written down but in all honesty, the offences were for quite petty things. I’m sure if they’d happened today, I’d have been dealt with differently, but who knows!

Despite having a ‘significant’ criminal record, finding work had never really been a problem and, even if I say so myself, I’ve been pretty successful over the years. As my convictions are now all spent, I very rarely think about them on a day to day basis.

So, applying for and getting a new job was no big deal until my boss told me that he was so pleased with my work that he wanted me to attend a couple of events with him in the USA. What a fantastic opportunity?

Like a lot of people with convictions, I’ve always believed that I’d never be able to travel to the US. I think it was the first thing I was told when I arrived at the YOI. I’d never let it bother me – after all there’s plenty more places in the world to go to on holiday. However work was different, I either needed to travel or tell my boss why I couldn’t.

I started to do a bit of research online but rather than provide me with answers it just made me more confused. I’d pretty much established that I’d have to apply for a visa rather than travel under the Visa Waiver Scheme, which meant I’d have to disclose my convictions but what I really wanted to know was whether I’d actually get one if I applied. If I didn’t stand any chance then I would have resigned rather than explain why to my boss.

I tried ringing the US Embassy but couldn’t get through but then I came across the phone number of an organisation called Unlock. I rang their helpline and explained the situation and couldn’t believe it when the guy told me that he didn’t think I’d have any problems being granted a visa as my convictions were deemed to be ‘juvenile delinquency’ (they’d happened when I was under 18). Funny to think that when my dad called me a juvenile delinquent as a kid it was a real insult yet they were the best words ever spoken by the guy at Unlock.

I completed the visa paperwork, got my police certificate and made an appointment at the Embassy. I was quite worried about the interview but it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be although the waiting around was quite boring. The Immigration Officer asked me loads of questions about my convictions and my reason for wanting to visit the US and there were a couple of times when I’d convinced myself that she wouldn’t grant me the visa.

I’m glad to say that I did get my visa and have already visited the US once with my boss. I had a bit of a tricky moment when, having seen the visa stamped in my passport, I was asked to go into a small office with a US Immigration Officer. She asked me a couple of questions about my visit and then let me go. Obviously my boss wanted to know why I’d been called into the office and all I could think to say was:

I think they randomly select people to find out more about them and their visit. I must just have one of those guilty looking faces

If only he knew!!

By Steve (name changed to protect identity)

 

A comment from Unlock

As Steve states in his story, there’s a lot of conflicting information online about whether it’s possible to travel to the US with a criminal record with many people assuming that anybody with convictions can never visit.

The US doesn’t ‘bar’ people with convictions from visiting but generally, you will be required to apply for a visa through the US Embassy. Consular Officers at the Embassy deal with every application on a case-by-case basis and will consider the seriousness of the offence, the age you were at the time and how long ago you received your conviction.

We also get a lot of reports from people that are granted a visa that, when they pass through immigration at the other end, they get taken into a separate office and have to wait for some further questions. This is worth knowing about to think about how you’ll prepare for that.

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on travelling to the US
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to travelling to the US.

I was rejected from university because of my record, now I’m campaigning for fair treatment

I didn’t really ever class myself as an academic when I was younger. I didn’t engage at school – learning just didn’t seem to be something I was interested in. But when I found myself at Her Majesty’s Pleasure aged 21 it was a pivotal point in my life. Being away from normality and being isolated gave me the opportunity to draw a better perspective of my own life. I decided I needed to pull my finger out and do more – there are no excuses now, I thought, the opportunity was there for me to change my life and I’d be the fool not to take it; no-one else was going to do it for me.

The first course that I engaged in was a carpentry course. Picking up a saw for me was like trying to read Japanese, but I took to it, and really enjoyed it. That’s what really fuelled the desire to do more, and I did. I took every practical course that was available. I would never have imagined myself to become interested in things like that, but I surprised myself and I think every day I continue to surprise myself. I’m so keen to learn now.

Post-prison, one of the biggest problems I faced was not being able to gain employment. I had all these skills, all these new qualifications but nowhere to apply them. So I took it upon myself to carve my own way and create my own opportunities. I started a small building maintenance company. We now maintain a portfolio of 1,200 properties and employ anywhere up to 25 people at one time. We’re doing alright!

I enjoy my job, but I want to do more. I can still feel this fire burning and I just want to go out there and do a lot more; to continue to push and challenge myself. A skill I’ve always had, but never really known what to do with, is the ability to draw. I was really fortunate to gain the work experience at a film studio after release, where I learnt to draft or technically draw. I enjoyed creating film sets and really challenging myself to create scale drawings and props that would be used on set. It was the first time I thought, ‘I can really do this’.

That’s why, last year, I started looking into doing a degree in architecture. I found a university in London, put together a portfolio, and applied. When I received an offer of a place I was elated; I couldn’t believe it. I thought this was going to be the start of something new. But then, on the day of enrolment, the university withdrew my application. In an email, they said the reason for reversing their decision was the fact of my criminal record. This was despite the fact it was an offence I had committed in 2009, and I was fully discharged in 2012 with no restrictions against me as an individual.

I was destroyed, heartbroken. I’m still a little bit gobsmacked to be honest. But I’m not happy to lie down and just accept this. I feel it is necessary to fight for change. That’s why I’m joining PET, The Longford Trust and Unlock in their campaign to encourage universities to give people with convictions a fair chance. From personal experience, I understand how damaging this sort of rejection can be for the individual. I don’t believe universities or any form of higher education institution should be willing to knock back someone just because of their criminal record – I think ex-offenders, reformed characters; whatever you want to call them – have a lot to offer: a lot of ambition, a lot of drive, a lot of passion. We probably make the best students just for the sheer fact that we want it so desperately. I’m a firm believer it’s so important to be able to give people the chance to be more and to do more with their lives.

I often say I’ve got a lot further on in the last few years post-prison than I ever did at the beginning of my life, and that’s all because of how I believe in myself and how other people have begun to believe in me as well. My family and the friends I surround myself with now are really keen for me to embark on this journey. They see something in me. It’s nice to have that from people – it’s a different kind of feeling and relationship from what I’ve known in the past. Seeing me get into university raised their confidence in me, and I think they feel the pain of my current situation too – the knockbacks, the obstacles – they just want me to go on to succeed.

I’m still in a struggle at the moment to find a university that will take me on and give me an opportunity. My ultimate goal is to be part of creating a building that can be a central location for people to come together to create social change. I want to create opportunities for others, including by employing people who have been in prison.

I don’t know where life can go now – that is the exciting thing. Joining this campaign and continuing to fight for my place at university is part of it – it’s an exciting process that I’m willing to embark on.

Since being interviewed by PET, the London university that rejected Georgie has reversed its decision, and has made Georgie an unconditional offer to start his architecture degree. He remains part of PET’s campaign to convince universities to treat students with convictions fairly.

By Georgie

 

This article originally appeared in the Insidetime newspaper (https://insidetime.org/i-was-rejected-from-university-because-of-my-record-now-im-campaigning-for-fair-treatment/) and is reproduced with permission and thanks

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Learning to read in prison has opened so many doors!

Margaret had never told anybody that she couldn’t read or write. However, the need to complete courses as part of her sentence plan made her realise that she needed to get some help to improve her literacy skills. 

 

 

I must have been about 6 years old when I started school but I’d left by the time I was 9. I thought it was boring, a waste of time plus I had no friends to play with – as a traveller girl, I found it difficult to make friends outside my own community.

As I only mixed with others from the traveller community, I was brought up learning to fight, drink and bate non-travellers. I started getting into trouble from quite an early age (usually because I was drunk) but only really got a ‘slap on the wrist’ from the local copper but as the fights and drinking escalated so did the punishments. I got a couple of short prison sentences before receiving an IPP sentence (an indeterminate sentence for public protection) in 2006 after being convicted of arson when I accidently set a fence alight.

Not being able to read or write had never really been a problem for me. I’d never told anybody but I just learnt ways of getting by. However, the IPP sentence started to cause me some real problems – I couldn’t complete my menu or canteen sheet but more importantly, I wasn’t able to do the courses that were part of my sentence plan. I could bluff my way through the menu and canteen sheet even though I sometimes ended up eating roast chicken, gravy and salad. But when faced with the probation courses, my aggression just covered up the fact that I couldn’t read.

I was really lucky to have a great Personal Officer who realised that my aggression and bad behaviour was masking something else (I don’t know how) and that if I carried on the way I was going, I was likely to spend years and years in prison. He was the first person I told about my problems with reading and he encouraged me to sign up for the Toe-by-Toe programme run in the prison to help prisoners overcome their reading problems.

I was a bit apprehensive to start with but was put in touch with a really friendly mentor who I met up with on most days. I started to learn how to change letters or words into sounds and in a really short space of time, I was reading ‘easy-reader’ books accurately and confidently. I started to look forward to going to the library each week to pick out a new book.

Admitting that I couldn’t read or write very well meant that I got extra help with my courses and, by the time I sat my Parole Board I’d done everything that was expected of me.

When I left prison I knew I was never going back and although I’m proud of my traveller roots, I wanted to do something different, be somebody different. I found a course at my local college that didn’t have any formal entry requirements and I went along to sign up as a mature student. When the receptionist looked at the blank space under the section which asked about “educational history” she told me that the course would be ‘intensive and advanced’. When I told her that I wasn’t stupid I’d just never been to school, she looked totally horrified.

I loved every minute of my college course but knew that finding a job with my criminal record was going to be the next battle I’d have to overcome. How many companies would want to employ somebody with convictions for violence and arson? Having come so far though, there was no way I was going to give up easily.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do (I’d never actually had a job before prison) but my probation officer suggested that I try doing some voluntary work just to get me used to the routine of working. I searched for opportunities online and before long I came across an organisation that campaigns for the advancement of education among the children of travellers. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

When I heard that I’d been invited to attend an interview, I almost ‘bottled it’ but deep down I knew that I’d never get another opportunity like it. I was shaking when I went into the manager’s office but she immediately put me at ease. I explained about my conviction and how, since I’d stopped drinking and gone to college, I’d put my offending behaviour well and truly behind me. At the end of the interview, I knew it was an organisation I wanted to be part of and I was delighted to be told that as a result of my own experiences and the fact that I’d been so honest and upfront, they wanted me as a volunteer.

I find it sad that I’ve only been able to change my life because I went to prison but, there’s no point living in the past – I’m just looking forward to my future.

By Margaret (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links

Having my wings clipped by an old conviction – how my criminal record stopped me travelling with my family

Following an emergency overseas, Helen needed to fly to the Caribbean. However, an old conviction meant that she ended up doing this without her family. Read about the barriers that Helen continues to face due to her criminal record and what she’s planning to do to help not just herself but others in the same situation.

 

At the end of last year, I was told that one of my family who lives in the Caribbean was extremely ill and had only been given a short amount of time to live. I immediately went online to find the cheapest flight so me and my family could go and see my relative before they died.

After hours of looking, I managed to find a cheap flight which transited in Canada, so I hastily went ahead and booked the tickets.

It was only then that I realised that we would need to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA). Having a conviction from 2000 which would never be spent, I knew that if there were going to be any problems it would be my application, so I went ahead and applied first. The question I’d been dreading popped up asking:

Have you ever committed, been arrested for, been charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country.”

There was no point in lying, I needed my ETA, so I set out the details of my offence.

The result of this was that I was asked to submit a hideous list of documentation explaining the details of my conviction. As it had happened so long ago, I didn’t have everything to hand and spent two and a half weeks gathering and paying for what was needed and then sent it off.

Imagine my disappointment when I got the reply, telling me that my ETA had been refused. The only option I had was to book another direct flight for myself and let my family travel on the existing one without me. This meant having to spend considerably more money and not being able to get a refund on the flight I’d already booked.

I was gutted and disappointed by this outcome. It truly wasn’t just a matter of the money or even the fact that my husband had to take the children on the plane without me (although I was upset that we couldn’t all travel together), it’s a matter of principle. My conviction was 17 years ago, yet I’m still being punished because of it, even though I’ve totally turned my life around.

For some time now I’ve been thinking about the barriers that people with convictions have to overcome, but this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I can’t stay silent any longer. I now intend to campaign to address and raise awareness of this issue as I know there will be many others out there in the same situation as myself. I want to help them have a voice, and see if positive changes can be made so people with convictions can move on with their lives and leave their past firmly in the past.

By Helen (name changed to protect identity)

 

A comment from Unlock

Helen’s story demonstrates the barriers that a person with a conviction can face, particularly when trying to travel abroad to certain countries, even though their conviction may be historic. We would always recommend that you obtain your visa before you book your flight, as you could suffer financially if your visa is refused.

Useful links

  1. Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  2. Information – We have practical self-help information on travelling abroad
  3. Discuss this with issue – There are some interesting discussions on travel on our online forum.

My new life began to grow in a garden – starting again with a criminal record

Following a conviction for a sexual offence, Duncan thought his life was over. However with the support of his family and friends and by throwing himself into a new career he’s been able to seek help for the problems which led to his offending. He’s been amazed that despite knowing about his convictions many of his customers have been able to look beyond this and given him a second chance.

Two years ago I received a conviction for possession of extreme adult pornography. My life would have been ruined if it wasn’t for the support I had from my family and friends.

Within three days of my arrest, a night in the cells and a gut wrenching appearance in court, I was called into a meeting with my employer and ‘persuaded’ to resign. I immediately lost my 35 year career and knew that there was no way of ever getting back into it.

Six months later I stood in the court ready to be sentenced. Fortunately, I was only given a 12 month supervision order and the Sheriff (the Scottish equivalent of a judge) told me that “I needed help not punishment”.

I took responsibility for what I’d viewed online (nothing had been saved onto my laptop) and knew that I had to try and make amends for my stupid actions and deal with the issues that got me into this situation in the first place.

I went off to see my GP, received some medication and immediately stopped drinking alcohol (I’ve not touched a drop for 2 years now). However, I knew that I needed counselling to help me deal with my life long issues with pornography. I found out that counselling is very expensive and that I needed an income not just to pay for it but also to keep my mind and body active. So, with the qualifications I’d received over the years, a small business grant from the job centre and some specialist insurance for people with convictions (thanks to Unlock for help with this), I set up my own gardening business.

I knew it was going to be challenging to get customers. My case had been covered in the media, particularly online with my details added to the usual homemade sex offenders’ databases. Although my case had been twisted beyond all recognition, a search on google of my name really didn’t look good. Living in a small community I thought it would be impossible to get work so I used my second name for my business and started to advertise locally. I was still living at the same address so it wouldn’t have taken long for somebody to work out my name.

I was amazed at the response, my customer book was full by the summer and I had to turn people away. What was surprising was that a few customers knew me and knew about my conviction but still employed me – they were willing to give me a second chance.

I was able to book myself in for counselling sessions and I’m starting to move forward. The naming and shaming is still online and still irritates me but day to day it’s not a big deal.

What’s more important is that every day I have the words of my daughter ringing in my ears

It’s not what you’ve done in the past Dad that defines you but what you do from now on”.

By Duncan (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links

  1. Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  2. Information – We have practical self-help information on sexual offences and self-employment
  3. Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to sexual offences on our online forum.

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