For people with criminal records
If you have a spent conviction and are suffering reputational harm or distress as a result of material about that conviction being published online and/or which features in online searches against your name, legal remedies may be available.
We are currently working with Carter-Ruck, a law firm specialising in this area, who are willing to advise people with spent convictions on a “no win no fee” basis.
Having grown up with an alcoholic and abusive father, I struggled to behave like a normal teenager. On reflection, I now appreciate how angry I was that nobody was trying to help me out of the dreadful situation I was in and my unwillingness to be ‘normal’ was undoubtedly my way of rebelling.
I dropped out of school because nobody there understood me and this just added to my sense of anger with the world and life in general.
At the age of 17 I’d found myself a boyfriend and things were starting to look up. But, during the course of a heated argument, this lad pushed me. The red mist descended and in that moment of rage, I knew that I wasn’t going to let any other man hurt or take advantage of me. I picked up a knife and stabbed him. He survived and I received a three year probation order.
At about the same time, my father went to court and received a conviction for the abuse he’d subjected me to. He was sent to prison. This stirred up a lot of emotion in me not least more anger – I couldn’t understand why he’d been let off so lightly, when he’d left me with a life sentence.
Following his conviction I received a large amount of compensation and I turned to drugs to help me deal with the situation. I wasn’t ready to accept any help from probation or the counsellors that they put me in touch with. It followed that I would be caught and I was eventually charged with possession and the supply of controlled substances (cannabis and sleeping pills). This time I received a two year probation order that ran concurrent with my earlier conviction.
I’m now approaching my 42nd birthday. It took me some time to stop being angry at life but, over the years I returned to school, gained 5 GCSE’s and started to study with the Open University. I also found full time work and eventually a job that paid for me to complete my degree on a day release basis. I’d always loved science and this is the field that I concentrated my study on. I completed my degree, worked my way up the organisation and was doing pretty well for myself.
Although I enjoyed what I was doing, the idea of teaching and making a difference to the lives of young people kept crossing my mind. I really wanted to share my love of science and hopefully inspire other young people to love it too. I started to seriously look into the possibility of becoming a teacher and approached a local university to ask them what my chances were of being accepted on to a PGCE course. They were totally honest and told me that;
although they would accept me, I should expect a mixed response from schools when looking to find a work placement.
I was really nervous about leaving a perfectly good career but I knew I had to give working with kids a try. I decided not to go down the PGCE route, but took a job in a school as a laboratory technician. Whilst working there, I spoke to my colleagues and the head teacher about my dreams of teaching and after a year, I applied for a government teaching placement (now called School Direct), fully supported by the school I was working in.
Since then I’ve worked in several schools. Some heads have been amazing, they’ve listened to my story and understood that my past allows me to empathise with more difficult pupils. Other’s have shut the door in my face as soon as I’ve explained the circumstances. The head teacher at my training school gave me some excellent advice about filling in application forms. He suggested that it was better to state on the form ‘2 x convictions which I would like to discuss further at interview’. He told me that this would enable me to get through the door and prove myself before I was judged.
I’ve also found some recruitment agencies really useful. I applied for my current job through one. They asked me to write a statement detailing the offences and explaining my circumstances at the time. They spoke to the school first, which saved me the stress and embarrassment of talking about it at interview
I now work in a very challenging school with lots of pupils who remind me of my former ‘angry self’. I can honestly say that I absolutely love my job and really glad that I made the move.
I really wanted to tell my story because I thought it was important to encourage others. Having a criminal record doesn’t have to be the end of your dreams. You just need to have some patience and perseverance.
By Juliet (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
Two years ago my life changed when I met a new man. He was kind, gentle, easy to talk to and made me laugh.
The day after our first ‘date’ I received a text message from him which read:
I need to tell you something but it needs to be in person
I thought he was going to tell me that he was married! I certainly didn’t expect to hear the words that he actually said to me.
The following weekend, I drove to a restaurant to meet him with a feeling of unease. After we’d eaten, he told me that he needed to have a chat with me about something from his past which was likely to affect his present and his future. His first words were ‘I’ve got a couple of criminal convictions’ and, as he continued he revealed to me that he had some historical sexual offences for which he’d spent four years in prison. Well – I wasn’t expecting that!
He continued to explain that in 2010 he’d received a further conviction for downloading and distributing indecent images. He told me that he’d been given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for an indefinite period of time. Luckily I had some knowledge of the law so I knew what he meant and what the implications of this were likely to be. As he was explaining the circumstances, I was surprised to find my heart going out to him and I started to appreciate that a persons lifestyle and background can have a lot to do with why they break the law.
Even though we’d known each other for such a short period of time, I knew that the man sitting in front of me was going to be very important to me. We chatted a lot over that weekend and, when I left for work early on the Monday morning, I’m pretty sure that he didn’t expect to hear from me again. I don’t give up easily and in the following weeks, I bombarded him with questions and made him tell me the full details of his offences – I felt I needed to get a better understanding of why he’d done what he did and I needed to be sure that I could accept this man and his past. It didn’t take me long to realise that I was already happier than I’d been in other relationships.
The next step for us was to visit the police station together to meet and speak to the team who oversee those on the Sex Offenders Register. We were there for over an hour whilst I was asked what I’d been told about the convictions, whether I had any children or grandchildren under the age of 18 (I didn’t). It wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience but it could have been a lot worse.
So what has happened since then? Well this man is now my husband and I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. We’re both in our 40’s so having our own kid’s isn’t on the cards for us. We have visits from the local police every three months or so and have to answer some very probing questions about our lives (I must say, it’s always done very professionally). We have to remember to report any changes in our circumstances to ensure there’s no chance of him breaching his order but otherwise, we generally have the same lives as anybody else.
My husband knows what would happen if any type of offending behaviour happens again – I’ve warned him that our marriage would be over.
So the moral of the story is that honesty is always the best policy in relationships. There’s no guarantee that a potential new partner will run for the hills. In fact they may, as I did, feel honoured that they’d been trusted with such a huge part of somebody’s life.
By X and B (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
I’m 68 years of age and happily married, I’m well educated and achieved academic success. Oh, just one more thing, in March 2012 I was given a four year prison sentence for ‘attempted fraud’.
It’s hard to explain what prison is like – I was surprised to discover the amount of warmth and support amongst prisoners – nothing like how women’s fictional prisons are shown on the TV. Every day is pretty much the same (ground hog day I think they call it) and coping with a prison sentence is all about surviving. As somebody who loves to be busy, the lack of things to do and the boredom was the worst part of prison life. I’d learnt to knit at the age of 10 and so, to maintain my sanity, I knitted and knitted all the time in prison. I even volunteered to knit for the ‘prison shop’ – hats, scarves and gloves.
The day of my release eventually arrived and I left prison with no savings and totally reliant on my husband to support me. When I was sentenced, I was surprised to learn that my state pension was going to be suspended. My husband and I relied on our joint pension to pay our bills etc. and just because I’d gone to prison, those bills didn’t get reduced. As a retired prisoner, I could have chosen not to work in prison and rely on private ‘spends’ from my husband but clearly, this would have put him under even more financial pressure – something I just couldn’t do.
Prior to going to prison, I was well known for my ‘good works’ and was a regular at my local church. It seemed to me that because of that I was fair game for the local press who had a field day berating me. This led to a lot of my work at the church being curtailed.
I’d been told stories in prison and later read on the internet about the difficulties in finding work with a criminal record and the challenges that this presented was really daunting.
I was also too afraid to apply for voluntary work as I couldn’t bear the thought of being rejected. I was struggling to know what I was going to do in the future and whether I’d be financially secure.
So, it was back to the knitting. I started off selling items in mother and toddler groups and this progressed to village halls and market stalls. I’d give items to friends who’d sell them in their workplace and before long I’d turned my hobby into a profit.
The busier I got, the more professional I had to be. I checked if there were any regulations around working from home and made sure that I had the necessary insurances etc. I also kept records of all my income and expenditure. I feel really fortunate that I’ve got a hobby that I’ve been able to utilise which allows me to become self-employed. I don’t have to worry about applying for work or face the humiliation of disclosing my conviction and having an employer judge me.
Wherever I sold my wares, I’d hear the same comments over and over again:
Oh these are beautiful, I wish I could knit
Kerching! Could this be another potential business idea? Maybe I could teach other people to knit. I’d taught a few of the girls in prison but, at the end of the day, they didn’t really have anything else to do. Would people ‘on the out’ pay for lessons?
I was lucky enough to have a large room at home (our dining room). If I could use this, then there’d be very little outlay involved, other than some marketing literature. I didn’t think I had anything to loose and so my business was born.
I now teach small groups to knit, for which I charge a tuition fee. I also have monthly knitting groups where I provide free tuition in exchange for which I sell the items that are made at local markets.
Concentrating more on teaching has meant that I’ve had less time to knit myself and the demand for hand knitted items has outstripped supply. Within the last month, I’ve had to advertise for ‘professional’ knitters to increase stock. Ten people applied to me with samples of their work and I’ve been able to offer them all some work. I supply them with the yarn and patterns and pay them a percentage of what the item sells for. Two of my ‘knitters’ have criminal records and served time in prison which has given me an added sense of satisfaction.
I love being my own boss and, as my small business grows I’ve been able to provide opportunities for others. So if you’ve got a hobby and are considering a change of career direction or, just looking to earn a bit of extra money, it might be worth thinking about how you can use your hobby to your advantage.
By Pauline (name changed to protect identity)
Back in 2011, I was arrested and charged. As a result of this, I lost my job and fell into deep despair. Anxiety issues followed and ultimately depression took hold. I was lucky that I still had my close friends and family for support but I struggled with guilt and couldn’t really cope.
Two years later, my case went to court and I was sentenced to a prison sentence and served three months inside. Prison is a depressing and demoralising place yet somehow I managed to get through my sentence.
On release, I decided to move away from the area I’d lived in pre-prison and started searching for work. I decided that I could do with building up my self-confidence and I needed something to get me out of the house, so I thought about volunteering whilst I looked for paid work. I applied to a well-known charity and with some trepidation, disclosed my conviction to the manager at the end of the interview. She totally empathised with my plight, offered me a role there and then and I started volunteering pretty much straight away.
I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering, I felt that not only was I making a real difference to the lives of the people I was supporting but I was helping myself as well. Volunteering gave me a sense of fulfilment and self-worth. However, I wanted more for myself, not least financial security and so, all the time I was volunteering I continued to apply for as many paid jobs as I was able to.
Eventually, I was offered a job interview for a receptionist position in a large hotel. I was really excited but also incredibly nervous. I’d been out of work for a long time and now had the added complication of having a criminal record. The interview was going well and I took the opportunity to disclose my conviction to the interviewer. I’d always hated this part of any interview but I knew it had to be done and for me, it was better to do it sooner rather than later. Another two interviews followed with different members of the hotel management team where I was asked for more information about my conviction. Although they weren’t very comfortable discussions, I took the view that if it helped management get to know me better and have an understanding of my conviction and how it came about, then it might improve my chances of getting the job.
When I received the telephone call telling me that I’d been successful, it felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I really appreciated the fact that the hotel had given me this ‘second chance’ and I thanked the hotel manager personally for his faith in me.
Fifteen months passed and, as a result of my hard work and willingness to go over and above what was expected of me, I’d become a well-respected and valued member of the team. My criminal record was never spoken about or referred to.
Then out of the blue, I turned up for work one night and was asked to go and see the new Operations Manager and the Assistant Operations Manager. Immediately I walked into the office I was handed a letter and told that I was being suspended until further notice as ‘the hotel had been made aware of my criminal record which I’d lied about to gain employment’. I couldn’t believe what was happening and I tried to explain that I’d made a full disclosure at my initial interview and had also had follow-up discussions where I’d provided additional information. I made my way home totally distraught.
As the hotel undertook its investigation into the matter I was invited to three separate meetings where I was provided with copies of written statements which had been given by other managers at the hotel and colleagues. The basis of the disciplinary seemed to be that:-
I assisted the hotel fully with the investigation and discovered that my original disclosure had never been documented by the hotel’s HR department. As far as I was concerned, I’d disclosed verbally and it never dawned on me that I should put something in writing. So, even though the hotel couldn’t prove that I hadn’t disclosed, I couldn’t prove that I had.
The outcome was inevitable I suppose – I was dismissed, and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t even take the case to an employment tribunal as I’d been employed for less than 2 years.
Six months on, I’m back volunteering, applying for between 10 and 20 jobs a week. I now have another problem to deal with, answering the question ‘have you ever been dismissed?’. It’s so disheartening and it can be difficult to stay positive but I’m just about managing to keep my head above water and staying strong.
I’ve learnt a lot from this experience and I’m sure that many employer’s and anybody else reading this could learn something too, namely:
By Bradley (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
My life hasn’t always been easy. I’ve seen some real tragedy; not least my husband’s suicide which then led to my receiving a criminal record.
I can’t begin to explain what was going on in my head following my husbands suicide. There were days when I thought my heart would break and I struggled to get out of bed and other days when I felt angry at what he had done. I couldn’t concentrate on anything and this ultimately led to me getting into real difficulty with the benefits office.
My conviction isn’t something that I’m proud of but it happened and I can’t change the past. I guess you just have to learn from your mistakes and make sure you don’t repeat them.
I’ve worked all my life in a variety of jobs, a lot of them being in the care sector. I’ve always been very upfront and honest with employers about my conviction, never shying away from disclosing. Employers always want to know more and I’ve always taken the view that if it helps them to made a decision then I’ll tell them whatever they need to know. In the majority of cases, my conviction hasn’t caused me any problems.
I was excited beyond belief when in May 2013, I read about the introduction of new government legislation around the filtering of convictions from DBS checks. Sadly, the excitement didn’t last long when I discovered that despite only having one conviction, I had more than one count which automatically made my offence ineligible for filtering. It certainly would have made things easier for me if I didn’t have to disclose my conviction, but I didn’t let this get me down.
So onwards and upwards. I decided that now would be the time to turn my hand to something different and I applied for a job as an NVQ Assessor in Health and Social Care.
Before too long I’d been invited to an interview and, as always, I explained that I had a conviction and how it had come about. I felt that I’d built up a good rapport with the interviewer and I was over the moon when he told me that my conviction wouldn’t be a problem saying:
You’ve been upfront, you’ve not tried to hide it and, it was a long time ago’
The following week, I was invited to meet up with the Regional Manager. We discussed training dates and I had my photograph taken for my ID badge. It was coming up to Christmas and I thought this might hold up my DBS check, so I felt that realistically I’d probably start work towards the end of January.
Then, out of the blue, I received an email stating that my DBS certificate had come back and, as it ‘wasn’t clean’ my application could go no further. Apparently the organisation had a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards people with convictions.
I was stunned. I’d disclosed my conviction at the very first opportunity, I had extensive practical experience and relevant qualifications. I felt angry that my time had been wasted but also totally deflated. I wanted to give up and hide away.
I’ve always considered myself to be a strong individual but my confidence and self-esteem were shot to bits. I didn’t know what to do next. This one negative experience seemed to outweigh all the positives in my life.
Then, whilst searching the internet one night, I came across Unlock. I didn’t feel that I had anything to lose so, I put pen to paper and set out my experience. I didn’t expect them to do anything but I’d read that they wanted to challenge the Government’s filtering legislation and I thought I’d add my name to their campaign.
Some time later, into my inbox popped an email from Unlock. They asked me for some more information, said they might be able to help me. This was all it took to fire me up again. My confidence returned and I knew that I needed to do something different – something totally different. So I applied to university to become a student and my application was accepted.
Unlock wrote to the NVQ company highlighting their poor recruitment practice and how they had contravened the DBS Code of Practice in they way they’d dealt with me. They received a letter back stating that there had been a miscommunication issue and that they didn’t have a zero tolerance policy! I’ve not pursued a role with this company any further as I’m of the firm belief that I wouldn’t want to work for an organisation that had this type of attitude towards me, but hopefully it might help others in the future.
I made one bad mistake when my world was in crisis, but I’ve actually devoted the rest of my life trying to help others. I’m determined that this is what I’ll continue to do.
By Angie (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
The Festival of Learning, which took place in June, is the biggest national celebration of lifelong learning in England. Each year, ahead of the Festival, an awards ceremony is hosted (The Inspire Awards) to celebrate the achievements of outstanding learners who’ve shown exceptional passion, commitment and drive for learning, often in the face of difficult circumstances.
This year, the ‘Overall Learner of the Year Award’ and the ‘Into Work’ category was won by James Harris. What’s so outstanding about James is that he spent half of his adult life in prison after he was sentenced to 76 months in prison for drug offences.
Talking about his experiences after he received his award, James explained how he had first been offered cocaine at a party when he was 19. Before long, his drug use had escalated until it eventually reached the point where he couldn’t face going to work before he’d snorted a line of coke. At the age of 23, James was dealing drugs to pay for his habit and this ultimately led to his prison sentence.
Like many people, prison proved to be the turning point for James and, instead of hitting rock bottom, he decided to use his time behind bars positively. Relationships with his family had broken down and James knew that he had to turn his life around. He dedicated his time to learning new skills and acquiring more knowledge. He gained more than 30 qualifications ranging from psychology to personal training as well as mentoring around 30 other prisoners to achieve basic literacy skills.
Having left prison, James now combines studying for an Open University degree whilst working night shifts. In an interview given to Wales Online James said:
I wanted to use my own personal experiences combined with my studies to help others battling drug addiction.
I’ve spent half of my adult life in prison but rather than focus on the negatives, I decided to take a step back and evaluate my life choices.
I’d love to work in a drug rehabilitation unit as a therapist and I know to achieve that I’ve got to work hard’
Read the whole article about James at here or watch an video interview with James.
Useful links
I’ll start this with the following statement:
If someone had told me I’d have a criminal record and get a prison term three years ago, I’d have laughed.
However, the reality of this journey has been eye-opening and frightening! The pre-prison journey was horrendous and my lack of knowledge concerning the working of the law cost me dearly. Legal aid means only the basics are covered and it’s very true that without money to defend yourself you’re in a very poor position to fight. Prior to this experience, I had absolute respect for the criminal justice system; this I’m afraid is no longer the case. Perhaps I’ll write about that some other time.
From my own perspective, post prison is where the true sentence begun. Regardless of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, a criminal record causes a significant impact on the simple things in life! For those with a life licence, you have my absolute sympathy. Thankfully in time, I will no longer have to ‘disclose’ and matters will improve, that’s not to say I’m naive enough to think things will be perfect. If you leave prison and they offer you hostel accommodation, take it! In my case they opened the prison door and left me to it. Probation couldn’t help with accommodation or work – it’s not their responsibility. Writing to housing associations didn’t achieve great results and the council were less than helpful. Therefore, if you have a hostel place be grateful for it because it will give you the opportunity and time to sort your life out. It might compromise your life for a while but it’s better than being homeless as I’ve discovered.
Life on licence is bearable. I’ve found my probation officer to be very supportive and feel that in many cases, they only come down hard on you if you give them reason to. Finding work with a criminal record has proved to be a journey in itself. If you prepare yourself for a lot of rejection, then you’ll be OK. The Job Centre should and will work with any restrictions that you have. Initially my work coach asked me to apply for every job under the sun which really wasn’t appropriate. I had to be very clear about what my options were. Job Seekers Allowance or Universal Credit requires active seeking of work but you shouldn’t be penalised if you can only apply for two jobs a week. You may find that a lot will depend on the relationship you develop with your work coach so try hard to get them on board.
I was placed on the Mandatory Work Programme. This consisted of 5 hours a day of hot housing on the job hunting front. My work coach thankfully had a lot of experience of working with ex-offenders and, with a bit of prompting, was able to quickly understand what I could and couldn’t do. Initially they asked me to join every recruitment agency in the local area and as I soon discovered, this wasn’t the most helpful piece of advice I was given.
In my experience, it’s best to concentrate on joining agencies that specialise in getting ex-offenders back into work – they do exist. Talking to my work coach enabled me to find out which ones in the area were the best to join. I was prepared to work anywhere and was realistic about what I could achieve but was horrified to find that I was having problems applying for shift work in a factory. I got the feeling that agencies were sometimes loath to put me forward for jobs and sell me to employers and I got very depressed with the constant rejections.
Talking with employers face to face was much more successful as I was able to speak for myself, sell my strengths and explain how I’d come to be convicted. I’d certainly recommend this to anybody looking for a job and it did achieve more positive results for me. ‘Banning the Box’ is something I definitely support as I really believe that there were times when having ticked the ‘yes’ box on a form, my application was taken no further despite having the relevant skills and experience required.
It’s been necessary for me to take a long hard look at my CV and sadly, I’ve had to remove the majority of my qualifications. My degree and post-graduate qualifications are at this time no longer relevant and in fact, proved to be a hindrance in achieving work as I was deemed ‘over qualified’. If you have any professional qualifications then dumbing down you CV will improve your chances of getting a job. I’m now employed as a car valeter – it’s not glamorous but it’s 40-45 hours of regular work and regular pay. My current employer never asked anything about my past. All he wanted to know was that I was reliable and committed to the job. I was able to sell myself without having to tick a box. My employer isn’t silly by any means, he probably realises that there might be a ‘skeleton in my cupboard’ but as far as he’s concerned I contribute to his company – I’m hard working, never let him down and I make him money – and that’s all he wants.
Remember, if an employer doesn’t ask you about convictions, you don’t need to disclose. Unless you have restrictions on your licence, don’t let your probation officer force you into disclosure. The law is clear on this, if you’re not asked then you do not need to say anything. The same applies to car and house insurance although do check out the small print to make sure you’re not missing a question somewhere!
The future moves on for me and I know that there will be other difficult occasions to overcome. Patience and resolve will allow you to make progress you’ve just got to hang on in there. I haven’t enjoyed the constant ‘black-listing’ and perhaps this will continue, but I’ll not give up. It can feel as though the system is designed to set you up to fail but don’t let it.
We’re all worth something and I believe that if a company says ‘no’ then it was their loss. When you walk into an interview, its in your hands to prove that you have the skills and experience to do the job and that you’re worth the faith and trust they’ll be placing in you.
By Adam (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
In 1993 I drove the ‘get away’ vehicle in a robbery. It goes without question that this is a crime that I am deeply ashamed of and one I regret every day.
I had grown up on council estates and seen friends make mistakes and get in serious trouble. I really hoped I would not suffer a similar fate However, in my teens my life became afflicted with an addition to gambling that I simply could not control. It got worse and worse and I got myself heavily in debt. Understandably no one would lend me money. It was in these circumstances that I decided to involve myself in a robbery in a bid to clear my debt. This is by no means an excuse, its just what happened.
Thankfully I was caught and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. I say thankfully as it was in prison that I managed to turn my life around.
I distinctly recall a moment in prison (HMP Parkhurst) after about 18 months or so when I’d reached absolutely rock bottom. My parents were suffering greatly, particularly my mother. She had such high hopes for me and always pushed me to study hard and make something of my life. She was simply devastated by my incarceration – the sad and frightened look on her face whenever she visited me still burns me now.
At the time I was still gambling in prison, only the currency was tobacco and phone cards rather than cash. That didn’t stop me getting heavily in debt again.
I was surrounded by examples of what I would become in 10 years, 20 years or 30 years time if I didn’t find a way out. So I just decided that enough was enough and that I had to do something to change my life’s direction. My dear mother and family right behind me.
So I enrolled on an offending behaviour course and it soon became obvious to me that despite my constant denials and protestations that I could control my gambling, it was indeed gambling that was the root cause of all my problems. This led me to get in touch with Gamblers Anonymous and I received literature from them that changed my life forever.
I’d tried giving up gambling before, but always got bored and ended up convincing myself that I could control my habit only to fail miserably. The literature advised me to fill the gap that inevitably follows after giving up gambling (you spend so much time gambling and finding money to gamble when you’re an addict that you have little time for anything other than sleep) with positive things.
I decided to fill my gap with education in the main and rekindling my love of basketball. I was always interested in law so got myself a job as a student orderly, helping inmates with basic English and Maths along with studying a correspondence course in A level law. I’d written to various organisations and managed to get funding to do the A level.
Whilst doing the course, I applied to the University of Southampton to study for a degree in law. I disclosed my conviction for robbery and I was lucky enough to be invited to sit an internal exam and go through a rigorous interview. The prison I was in was good enough to give me a licence to attend and I managed to pass the exam and persuade the university to offer me a place contingent upon me getting a grade A in my A level law exam.
I remember my exam was 2 days after my release and being worried sick that I would get out and be so distracted by the euphoria of being released after three and a half years in prison that I might mess up my exam. I therefore asked the Prison Governor if I could remain a further two days, sit my exam and then be released so I could focus on what would be the biggest exam of my life. The governor agreed and I managed to secure my grade A.
I excelled at university getting a high 2.1 and being amongst the top 10% in my year group. I then obtained a distinction on the Legal Practice Course at Guildford’s College of Law.
In order to qualify as a solicitor, I had to convince the Law Society that I was now a fit and proper person to become a solicitor. I had spent a tremendous amount of time since my release doing as many positive things in the community as possible. As a consequence, I was able to produce a number of references from people such as my law tutor, careers advisor, employers, voluntary work supervisors and friends. I have no doubt that this enabled me to convince the Law Society that I was now a fit and proper person to become a solicitor.
My only hurdle then was to convince a firm of solicitors to give me a training contract. This was not easy and I was turned down 100’s of times. It eventually became obvious that the smaller high street legal aid practices would be more willing to take a chance on me.
I eventually managed to secure an interview with one of these practices and was given a chance to complete my training contract. I qualified as a solicitor and gained a further qualification which enabled me to conduct jury trials and appear in courts as high as the Supreme Court. I spent 7 very happy years with this organisation until I decided to set up my own practice specialising in criminal defence work.
I can’t say it has all been plain sailing, there have been very difficult moments throughout my journey. I have experienced people, including those in the criminal justice system. that have made negative comments about myself being allowed to practice and about my achievements. This was a big shock to me, as I assumed that everyone would view my rehabilitation and achievements positively.
However, I soon understood and came to realise that it was a healthy reminder of the fact that I committed a very serious crime indeed that will never leave me no matter what I achieve. That is the real punishment, but I have not allowed it for one second to deviate me from my pursuit of doing the best I can to be an active and positive role model in the community. That is the least I can do for the victims of my crime.
By Thomas (name changed to protect identity)
Useful links
When: Thursday 4th August from 6pm to 8.30pm
Where: Only Connect, 32 Cubitt Street, London, WC1X 0LR
Letting us know if you easily found what you were looking for or not enables us to continue to improve our service for you and others.
Was it easy to find what you were looking for?We use cookies where necessary to allow us to understand how people interact with our website and content, so that we can continue to improve our service.
We only ever receive anonymous information, and cannot track you across other websites. Find out more
