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For people with criminal records

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Staying positive and being resilient – my journey from prison to normality

Having a little bit of time on my hands, I just wanted to share my experiences of being out in the real world.

It’s been eight months since my release from prison after serving four years of an eight year sentence for conspiracy to defraud. From the outset, I have maintained my innocence and stated that trust and stupidity are the only crimes that I’ve been guilty of.

The first eight months out of prison has been strange to say the least. I was fortunate enough to have been directed to the Langley House Trust who provided me with accommodation upon release and the prospect of a cardboard box under the arches was finally put to rest. I cannot thank them enough for their kindness and support.

Next it was off to the job centre. I think it was clear to the advisor straight away that I had health issues but I was happy to go along to the job centre every week, use their computers and pursue every job application that was appropriate. My advisor suggested that I should go onto Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which I did but I continued to remind the job centre that I was actively seeking work and they acknowledged that being on ESA would simply allow me time to ensure that my job search could be more precisely tailored to my health needs – for example there would be no attempt to send me off to do heavy lifting in a warehouse.

Strangely, I’ve recently been asked to attend an assessment with the ESA people to determine my fitness for work despite my telling them that I am fit for work and am actively seeking employment. My only reason for going onto ESA was because I was advised to do so by the job centre advisor – I’m starting to think that the different departments at the DWP don’t speak to each other.

I’ve continued my search for work and although I’m based in Northamptonshire, I’ve extended my search area to London and Kent. I have adopted the ‘don’t tell until you need to’ approach to disclosure. If a prospective employer doesn’t ask, then you don’t have to disclose but I’m pretty sure that if I’m offered a job I will tell – I’ve got a written disclosure all prepared which will help if an employer asks me to disclose in writing or in person.

So far, I’ve had no opportunity to disclose my record because quite frankly, the job market is not as buoyant as I would have hoped and I have now reached the ghastly age of 60. I believe that so far I have suffered from age discrimination rather than any other type of discrimination but obviously it’s impossible to say for sure.

As we progress day to day, it’s easy to lose sight of our goals and objectives. I’ve run the gauntlet of emotions from being fed-up, tired and dejected and at the point of giving up. I know it takes time and energy to find a job but sometimes it just seems so pointless.

I’ve now found a flat closer to my family and friends and will be moving into my own self-contained accommodation for the first time in five years. I’m looking forward to that and it’s a boost to my confidence at the right time. Seeing more of my family and friends will make the wait for a job easier; I’ll also be in a new location and can search with a fresh head on my shoulders.

The thing is, we all need a pick-me-up once in a while. The so-called justice system and the DWP think that people are robots and that facing rejection day after day has no effect on the will to continue – how wrong they are. Constant daily, weekly and monthly failure to progress has a huge impact on our resilience.

When you’re getting to the end of your rope, talk to someone you trust. Don’t give up, don’t let go of your dreams and don’t them ‘them’ get you down.

Good luck everybody.

By Francis (name changed to protect identity)

 

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Lessons in disclosure – just because an employer doesn’t ask the question, you’ll still be seen as dishonest if they find out you’ve got a criminal record

In 2015 I was sentenced to 16 months in prison for fraud against my employer.

I was 33 years old when I was convicted and the offence was completely out of character. Up until that point, I’d had a completely clean criminal record and had never had any dealings with the police or the courts.

Since my release I’ve worked really hard to rebuild my life which certainly hasn’t been easy. This began with applying for a really great job as a property supervisor with a company who let luxury holiday cottages. The interview went really well and I wasn’t asked any questions about my criminal record so I took the conscious decision not to disclose. After 3 months, the company told me that they were really pleased with my performance and offered me a promotion to senior property supervisor. I was delighted! Finally, I was back on my feet and felt like I had a purpose and value again.

However, my sense of elation didn’t last long. A short while after my promotion, an individual from my past took it upon herself to contact my employer and tell them about my criminal record. I was immediately suspended ‘pending an investigation’ and after a really unpleasant hearing in which I was essentially grilled about my background, my employment was terminated with immediate effect.

I was absolutely devastated but I wasn’t going to allow this to deter me from my commitment to rebuilding my life.

I applied for another job as a hotel receptionist and again, to my delight, I was successful. I’d practised how I was going to disclose my convictions and how I would explain that I posed no risk to the hotel or its guests. However, when the employer didn’t ask the question, I didn’t disclose.

I’d been working at the hotel for about a month when my previous employer contacted the hotel to tell them about my criminal record. Yet again, I was hauled in front of management and asked to divulge in full detail the circumstances that led to my conviction and details of the sentence I received. As you can imagine, it’s traumatic having to keep going back to that difficult time in my life.

Yet again, the hotel decided to terminate my employment based on my past.

I’m now unemployed and, on top of my criminal record, I now have two employment terminations to my name. This is incredibly detrimental to my ability to obtain work to support myself. Had either of these employers asked about my conviction, I would happily have told them but I find it really difficult to broach the subject myself. It just takes me back to a really hard time in my life and a time that I’d sooner forget about.

It seems a little unfair that although neither of the above businesses asked about my criminal record, my non-disclosure was held against me. I’d been able to demonstrate that I was a skilled and competent employee yet neither employer could see beyond my criminal record nor the fact that they thought I’d acted dishonestly.

It’s obvious to me that I must always volunteer the information regarding my criminal conviction from the outset (whether I’m asked about it or not). I just hope that there’s an employer out there that can look beyond this one event and give me a chance.

When so many people treat ex-offenders like this, is it any wonder that some will re-offend and return to prison as they struggle to find ways to support themselves?

Fortunately for me, I have a very supportive network of family and friends who pick me up every time I get knocked down; I also refuse to allow the small mindedness and spitefulness of people hold me back from rebuilding my life. Yes I made some wrong choices in the past but I just want to put that behind me and move on.

By Rachel (name changed to protect identity)

 

A note from Unlock: Rachel’s experience shows how, sometimes, there are exceptions to the golden rule of “you only have to disclose if you’re asked”. Generally, we don’t advise that people voluntarily disclose, but if you think that the employer will find out and change their mind, it might be better to be up-front and disclose, even if they haven’t asked you to.  

 

Useful links

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

Sometimes you have to believe you’re worth it – securing the job of my dreams with a criminal record

I’ll never forget the day I sat across from the smiley faced prison officer who told me

“You’ll never get a job with a fraud conviction. You’d have more chance if you’d murdered somebody”.

So much for moving on, being rehabilitated – from what this woman was telling me, I had a life on benefits to look forward to.

Luckily things didn’t quite turn out like that. I went to an open prison and, as soon as I was eligible for paid work, I secured a job with a well-known supermarket who employed individuals near to the end of their sentence. The job was essentially stacking shelves but I was so pleased to be working.

The best part of all was that when I was released, I kept the job. The money was ok and there was plenty of overtime available to bump up my salary. After a year I’d managed to rent myself a small flat and buy a really cheap car. It was wonderful to have some possessions of my own, all legally acquired.

Work was going well too. My line manager recognised that I was a hard worker, I kept myself to myself and was always willing to step in and cover extra hours when they were short staffed. He recommended that I go for promotion and after a bit of persuasion, that’s what I did. Four years on another promotion beckoned – department manager this time.

I passed all my assessments and moved to a small local store and as time went by I moved to bigger and better stores taking on more and more responsibility. I’d never had any passion to work in retail and although I was doing well, I’d often wondered what my life would have been like had I not received a criminal record. Prior to prison I’d worked in a management role for an IT company and I’d sometimes think about doing something different. However, that prison officers’ words always came back to me to haunt me. I was sure she was right. I’d secured one good job and after breaking the law and going to prison, I should be content with that job!

The supermarket that employed me often did work with local charities and I’d gotten to know the CEO of one of these quite well. I’d seen a lot of women in prison who were victims of domestic violence and I’d developed an interest in this field. I think I’d mentioned the possibility of doing voluntary work to the CEO at some time. One lunchtime as I read the local newspaper, I saw that the charity were advertising for an operations manager. The job description sounded just like my existing job albeit in a charity rather than a supermarket. I knew that I would be able to use a lot of my existing skills in this job but how could I? I had a job. I didn’t want to rock the boat. I’d have to disclose my convictions and the minute they found out about me, they’d reject my application. Not only that, but potentially I’d lose the respect of the CEO who I’d come to look upon as a friend.

For the next couple of days I tried to put the job out of my mind but at the most unexpected times, it would leap into my head. What should I do – just be happy with my lot that’s what.

To cut a long story short, I felt that I needed to speak to somebody about my thoughts and concerns. I rang my mum and asked her what she thought I should do. She told me that I needed to start forgiving myself for what I’d done in the past. That the only person stopping me doing something with my life was me.

Good old mum – always knows best.

I took her advice and filled in the application form. When I received the letter inviting me for an interview I was over the moon but then the doubt set in and there were several times when I almost rang and cancelled and even on the morning of the interview I almost didn’t go. I had a great interview. I’d done loads of research about the charity and I really gelled with the HR manager. Even when I disclosed my criminal record she didn’t seem too phased but I guessed that she was probably just a good actress.

When my phone rang the next morning offering me the job I couldn’t believe my ears. I’d done it. I’d got my dream job.

I’ve been there about 8 months now and I love it. I no longer think about the words of that prison officer but I often remember what my mum told me that the only person stopping me doing something with my life was me. She was absolutely right and I wouldn’t mind betting that there are people reading this now who are doing exactly the same as I was doing.

By Viv (name changed to protect identity)

 

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Why do Ofsted take so long in approving waivers for those who have been disqualified by association?

I’d like to tell you about my disqualification from the primary school that I’ve worked in for the past fifteen years.

In August last year, my 21 year old son was convicted of a sexual offence – arranging to meet a 13 year old girl and sending her explicit photographs. He received a suspended sentence, was put on the Sex Offender Register and told that he had to attend some courses relevant to his offence.

He wasn’t living with us when the offence took place but moved back home just before the court case started.

My family and I were devastated when my son received his conviction. We’re a decent family and have never been in any bother with the police before but the case was all over the local and national newspapers. It was, and still is, the most horrific experience I have ever been through.

As soon as we knew the result of the court case, I approached the Head of my school and explained the situation to her. She was really understanding and told me that the school would support me through this difficult time. It was at this meeting that I learnt about the need to obtain a waiver if I wanted to continue teaching and I immediately applied to Ofsted for one.

I’d always had a very good working relationship with both parents and staff at the school. As well as my teaching role I also managed a breakfast and after school club so I got to know the parents really well. The school told me that whilst I was waiting for my waiver to be approved, I could work from home. I helped with the school accounts, website management and anything else that was easy to do away from the school. This worked well for about three weeks and then the blow came. I was told that Ofsted were not happy about this arrangement and I was asked to return anything that belonged to the school and also told that I was not allowed on school premises. I was totally distraught. This felt like the final nail in my coffin.

The only good thing to come out of this has been that approximately four weeks after his conviction, my son started a new job. A family friend who runs his own business took him on. He knew all about my son’s conviction but was willing to look past it. My son’s doing really well at work and is trying hard to rebuild his life.

I, on the other hand, am still waiting for the results of my waiver. I had a horrific meeting with two women from Ofsted which took place in my own home. They grilled me about my son’s conviction and I had to tell them everything that happened – it was hell. They also asked about safeguarding at school, giving me details of different scenarios and asking me what I would do (it was as if it was my fault that my son’s offence had taken place). They said that they didn’t think I was aware of how serious the situation was because I hadn’t let my Head know as soon as the offence had taken place. As far as I knew, I had nothing to say at that time – my son might not have been found guilty.

We’re now six months on and I still haven’t heard from Ofsted. The Head of my school hasn’t been in touch – I don’t receive emails from her and don’t get invited to anything concerning staff that goes on outside of the school. I’m just totally being blanked. My union who have been representing me really don’t seem to be much use. They’ve told me that they haven’t been through anything like this before and they don’t know what to do. I even sent my union representative the links to Unlock’s website on Disqualification by Association to provide him with more information.

I regularly read the Unlock website and forum – it’s been a great comfort in some dark times. I really don’t think that people realise what impact a conviction has on a person’s family and how much it can affect their day to day life. As much as I loved having some time with my family without having to worry about money when things were very new and raw, I now feel as if I am being alienated. I rarely go out, especially on my own, I feel like I have the conviction and not my son.

I’m on the verge of getting a solicitor to help me as the worry and stress this has caused me and my family is really detrimental. I’m dreading the phone ringing telling me that I need to meet with Ofsted for a decision about my waiver. I really don’t think that I can handle it right now.

If Ofsted need me to have a waiver, then the very least they can do is to deal with the matter quickly or at least keep in contact so that I know what timescales I’m going to be working to.

By Cheryl (name changed to protect identity)

 

Editors note

We’ve since heard from Cheryl that Ofsted refused her waiver. However she is in the process of appealing their decision and we will keep you updated on her story.

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Do you live in Scotland? Do you have a criminal record? Can you help?

Disclosure Scotland is currently reviewing it’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme and is looking for views.

We thought it was a great opportunity for people with a criminal record in Scotland to have their say and potentially make a difference to important legislation that will have a real impact on people with a criminal record that live in Scotland.

There’s more information about the review in its Terms of Reference.

The best way to help is to complete the online survey, which will take about 10 minutes. You can also send them an email if you’d like to get more involved.

Landmark Court of Appeal ruling – Government loses appeal against DBS filtering regime – Ruling gives hope to thousands of people trying to put their past behind them

For those of you that have been following the work we’ve been doing on challenging the DBS ‘filtering’ process, we’ve heard today that the Court of Appeal has rejected the Government’s appeal to a decision of the High Court in January last year. This ruled that the criminal records disclosure scheme was disproportionate and unlawful.

The ruling, handed down today, involved a number of cases that were heard in the Court of Appeal in February this year, including cases brought by Liberty and Hodge, Jones & Allen, supported by Just for Kids Law.

The court heard the case of a man convicted in the 1980’s of ABH when he was 16 and received a conditional discharge. The President of the Queen’s Bench Division, Sir Brian Leveson, said in his judgement:

It is difficult to see how publication of this detail, 31 years on, is relevant to the risk of the public, or proportionate and necessary in a democratic society.

We’re delighted with the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which will benefit thousands of people who have old or minor criminal records. The current system which was introduced in 2013, operates with inflexible rules meaning that, for example, someone with more than one conviction on their record will have them disclosed forever, regardless of the nature or circumstances. These shortcomings have now been recognised by the Court of Appeal.

We hope the next government will take immediate steps to respond to today’s ruling by reforming the current system and introducing a fairer and more flexible system.

More information

  1. Read Unlock’s full press release
  2. Find out more about our work on this issue on our policy page for challenging the DBS ‘filtering’ process
  3. For practical information on filtering, read our detailed guide
  4. Discuss this issue on our online forum.

I am being punished for something I haven’t done – Insurance problems for family members

It was my first time in a court. My husband, Mark was on trial. It was his first offence. He was pleading guilty. We didn’t know how things would go.

We had been told to prepare ourselves for a prison sentence. We were not told how to do that. We had no idea what that would mean in practice. I felt sick to the stomach.

As I sat in the public gallery, I was so stressed that I could see the barristers talking but couldn’t take in what they said. It was as if I was in a different world. Then, it was the judge’s turn to speak. The sentencing statement went on for ages but the only bits that registered with me were the words ‘suspended’ and ‘that will be the end of it’. What aching relief!

Over the first month, a new normal of serving a suspended sentence emerged, including Mark’s weekly visits to the probation officer and getting used to restrictions on travel.

Every day since that day in court, I’d been counting off the weeks, longing for the time my husband’s sentence would be served. I thought that all he had to do was keep his nose clean for a few months longer, which shouldn’t be difficult and the judge’s words would come true – ‘that will be the end of it’. How wrong I was?

I was looking through some papers and noticed our household insurance policy was up for renewal. We’d been with this particular company for three years and had never had to make a claim, so I thought renewing the policy would be a formality.

Then something made me look at the small print. That’s not something I usually do. I noticed something about ‘if your circumstances have changed’. I then saw the bit that said “You must tell us if you or any person usually living with you has any unspent criminal convictions”.

Obviously, we didn’t want any mishaps so Mark rang the insurance company. He told them that he was serving a suspended sentence and told them what it was for. They said they’d get in touch within 72 hours.

Two days later, we received an email from them saying: ‘Your insurance will be cancelled in seven days’. They also said they’d be charging a cancellation fee. The cheek! They didn’t say why the policy was being cancelled, so Mark rang them again. The woman at the end of the phone explained that it was ‘company policy’. Why it was ‘company policy’ she didn’t, wouldn’t or couldn’t say. We thought we’d have to pay more in premiums, but we didn’t expect to be refused.

As we’d always had a joint policy, Mark asked if we could insure our house in my name. The insurance company said that it would make no difference. Because of his conviction, they considered Mark an uninsurable risk, and I was guilty by association.

A couple of hours after the phone call, the company emailed us with an online customer satisfaction survey to complete. Totally crass!

The whole thing is so unfair. I have done nothing wrong. I had nothing to do with Mark’s offence, and I am being punished. That is not justice.

We needed to get the house and the contents insured in a hurry, so we immediately started searching on the internet for ‘ex-offenders insurance’. We came across a Guardian article that had a list of companies that are prepared to insure ex-offenders and their families. Mark rang one, told them the details and got the cover we needed. It is more than four times the annual premium we were paying with our previous insurers, but at least we’re covered.

Another problem is that this will go on for years. Although his suspended sentence is counted in months, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act counts Mark as having an ‘unspent’ conviction for ten years. He is obliged to disclose unspent convictions or any insurance will be invalid.

When he raised the issue with his probation officer, they said that he was lucky: most of their clients don’t own property to insure. In a way, maybe we are. We cannot afford not to insure our house. We certainly couldn’t afford to lose everything. We will find the money for the higher premiums. But it does seem that society imposes additional punishment on an offender in the name of rehabilitation.

The worst of it is, nobody knows about it until it is too late. The judge didn’t tell Mark this would happen. His probation officer didn’t tell him this would happen. It’s in none of the literature we got from the court.

If I had just gone ahead and renewed the policy without reading it thoroughly, we’d have carried on blithely thinking that we were covered when, in fact, we weren’t. If the house had then been destroyed by fire, we would have been ruined. We would have been homeless. We’d have lost everything.

People should know that a direct result of getting a criminal record – even a fine for a public order offence at a demo – is that the insurance industry regards them and their innocent family as an insurance risk and that many companies will not insure them.

On the day Mark received his verdict in court, I was so relieved and thankful to hear the judge say ‘suspended’. But they were so wrong when they said that serving the sentence would be the end of the matter. For me, and the many innocent family members like me, it feels like it will never end.

By Jane Roe (name changed to protect identity)

This post originally appeared in the The War Cry magazine (copyright of The Salvation Army) and is reproduced with permission and thanks.

Please note: Jane refers to her husband’s conviction taking 10 years to become ‘spent’. It’s unclear exactly what length of suspended sentence he received, but since the rules changed in 2014, that period should have reduced significantly because of changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on insurance for people with convictions on our Information Hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to insurance from people with convictions on our online forum
  • Policy work – Read about the work Unlock is doing on ensuring fair treatment by insurance companies.

Getting permission from probation to travel to my brother’s wedding whilst on licence

From the day I received my custodial sentence, I was determined to turn my life around and make sure that I never went back to prison. I kept my head down all the time I was inside and upon release I’d already lined up a job volunteering for a charity who worked with ex-offenders.

I knew the hardest thing for me was going to be rebuilding a relationship with my family. I’d really let them down and I’d been devastated to see my mum and dad so distraught when I told them that I was likely to be going to prison. Communication between us had been very sporadic all the time I was inside.

My brother had been a fantastic support to me both during my trial and whilst I was incarcerated and I was so pleased when he told me that he’d got engaged and would be getting married – at last, something to look forward to. But then came the sting in the tale – they were getting married abroad. I was pretty sure that as I was still on licence, I wouldn’t be able to go.

From the time I left prison, I’d had a pretty good relationship with my probation officer so I thought I’d run the idea of travelling overseas for a couple of weeks past her. I was quite shocked when she categorically said ‘No’. No discussion, no thinking about it, just ‘No’. She told me that it was a standard condition on any licence to:

Not travel outside the UK unless otherwise directed by your supervising officer (permission for which will be given in exceptional circumstances only)

As far as she was concerned, this wasn’t an exceptional circumstance!

I left the probation office in tears. I wasn’t totally surprised but I did think that my probation officer would at least consider the pro’s and con’s of the trip. I’d really wanted to be with my brother on his big day and had thought it would be a good opportunity to start to build bridges with my mum and dad and other members of my family. My probation officer had just taken this all away from me.

My brother was stunned when I told him the bad news but after a cup of tea and some clear thinking he said:

Come on Mee this can’t be right. Let’s find out what options are open to us.

We did loads of research that night and over the next couple of days had conversations with lots of different organisations. In the end we decided that I had nothing to lose by appealing my probation officers decision.

I wrote a really detailed letter to the head or the probation office and a couple of weeks later I received a response stating that my application to travel had been approved.

My brothers wedding was fantastic. We were away for about 10 days in all which gave me plenty of time to spend with my mum and dad, away from the stress and pressure of everyday life and really did give me the opportunity to start re-building our relationship.

 

By Mia (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on travelling abroad while on licence
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to disclosure on our online forum.

Building my own dreams – What I’ve learnt from becoming self-employed

I knew that having a conviction was going to make finding a job difficult but I wasn’t prepared for just how difficult it would prove. I resigned from my previous job (at my employers suggestion) when news of my court appearance became public. I had a well-paid job, wife, house and a decent car; within months I had lost everything.

Finding a job became fundamentally important to me; not just to provide a wage but I hoped it would also help with my increasing feelings of isolation and anxiety. Unfortunately, I got the same result every time; sometimes it was simply no or a sorry we can’t put you forward, even worse was the silence, unreturned phone calls and emails. This continued for month on month and it began to feel that however low I set my sights the result was always going to be the same.

When I came to the conclusion I was just repeating the same action over and over again I decided to change tack; if an employer wasn’t prepared to take a chance on employing me would I be able to go self-employed or start my own business? I set about doing a lot of research on possible options and quickly found myself making a long list. After a few changes of mind along the way I decided to start a small business of my own.

Having made my decision I invested all my time, energy and a modest amount of cash in my new venture and thankfully I’m pleased to say that after a difficult initial six months there are now signs of progress. Thus far things have progressed slowly but surely and my business turnover is increasing steadily. Financially things are very tight; as business increases so does the necessity for more investment and the bills come in at a scary rate. I still constantly worry about my financial security both in the short and long term; in reality I need to make this work to keep a roof over my head.

Despite the worries, on the whole I have found the process very rewarding. Thus far I’m happy that I decided to ‘go it alone’, despite the difficulties and knock backs the positives still outweigh the negatives. Having a purpose to simply get up in the morning has helped with my general outlook and I dare to believe that there may be a brighter future for me ahead. I know it’s early days but I am at least doing something positive with my time.

I would encourage anyone stuck in a similar situation to consider the possibilities of working for themselves but to also think long and hard before making any serious career or financial commitment. For anyone considering going it alone the first thing to realise is that no one can tell you what is right for you. Like me you’ll need to take time and carefully analyse what options are available to you.

First off you will need to be realistic about what choices are available to you. If you have limited finances you can’t expect to buy a profitable off the shelf business; nor will you be able to kit out a swanky coffee shop with all mod cons. You may have to be more creative with the resources you have available to you, try to think what you enjoy doing and see if there is some way you can incorporate that in a new challenge. Just like applying for employment it’s worth considering what skills and experience you have to offer.

As most of you will be only too aware, having a conviction does put certain obstacles in your path and this is just the same for self-employment. I have had to take out a number of insurance policies with my business and having a conviction has made them all more difficult to obtain and of course, more expensive.

I have no personal exposure on social media; a conscious decision made in an effort to protect myself, similarly my business lacks an online presence and no doubt this has made it more difficult to find new customers. One benefit of being older is that I have been able to dismiss this as a personal choice/lack of tech savvy.

I have touched on the financial difficulties that have been (and are still) of concern to me and I can’t emphasise enough how important keeping track of my finances has been. You don’t have to be a financial wizard to do this, but you do need to be disciplined.

In part it has been easier for me to make the choice of going self-employed because of my personal circumstances. I don’t have the personal commitments that I once had and my social life is limited. On the plus side this has given me time and the energy to pursue a livelihood I would never have considered otherwise. More importantly it has made me more determined than ever to rebuild by life however long it may take; every cloud as they say!

By Robert (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on self-employment/running your own business
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to disclosure on our online forum.

Have your say on mental health conditions in prison

If you’ve had experience of being in prison (or being transferred between a prison and a secure hospital) while having mental health conditions, or if you have a friend or loved one with such experience, the Joint Committee on Human Rights wants to hear from you.

They don’t need you to provide any information that could identify you, they just need to hear about your circumstances and experiences.

Further information about the inquiry into mental health and deaths in prison can be found here or go straight to the Joint Committee forum to have your say.

 

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