Monthly summary – July 2020

Welcome to our monthly summary for July 2020.

This provides a summary of:

1. the latest updates to our self-help information site for people with convictions
2. recent posts to our online magazine, theRecord
3. discussions on our online forum
4. other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record.

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Updates to our information site

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

About criminal records

• Single Justice Procedure Notice – We’ve produced some new information on the Single Justice Procedure process which highlights the importance of responding to a notice if you receive one.
• Overseas convictions for sexual offences and the UK notification requirements – If you’ve been convicted of a sexual offence overseas you could potentially be made subject to notification requirements if you return to live in England or Wales. Our new advice post provides further information.
• Retention and deletion of police cautions and convictions – We’ve updated this page to include a section on appealing a decision if the police refuse your request to delete a caution.

Other areas of life

• Sources of legal advice – We’ve updated this page to include details of organisations that provide advocacy and some limited legal support to individuals.

theRecord posts

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

Success – No challenge, no change – from drug dealer to university student – “From a very early age I was ‘involved’ in crime. I lived with my family in South London where it was common practice for friends and family to ‘duck and dive’ to survive or make a bit of extra money. Aged 15 my father died and what little discipline I had vanished and I became more unruly and out of control …..”

Struggles and stigma – Probation, ‘borderline’ offenders and the need for boundaries – “The first meeting with my probation officer started off badly. She had read my case notes which said I was ‘high risk’ and made it clear that she had reservations about supervising me. I had Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and was known to struggle to manage my emotions …..”

Discussions on our online forum

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

When to disclose/Should I/Shouldn’t I? – arunH has been charged with drink driving and is awaiting his court hearing. He thinks it’s likely he’ll receive a 12 month ban and, although his job doesn’t involve driving, he wants to know whether he should disclose this to his employer. What advice would you give?

Open University – TheWeird1 is interested to know about people’s experiences of studying for a degree with the Open University. Can you help?

Other news and developments

Below are links to other news and developments that might be of interest to people with a criminal record. For more news, check out the news and media section of our main website.

Summer 2020 Newsletter – What we’ve been upto

We’ve published our summer 2020 newsletter which provides an update of the news at Unlock in the last three months.

Government responds to Supreme Court ruling with plans to change criminal records disclosure regime

Following the government’s announcement that they plan to change the criminal records disclosure regime to address the Supreme Court’s judgement from January 2019, Unlock’s co-director, Chris Stacey sets out what changes will be made and what they will mean to people with a criminal record. Read more here.

What is the rationale behind the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

We’ve published a paper written by Dr Andrew Henley (Assistant Professor of Criminology at the University of Nottingham) which sets out the original rationale for the ROA.

Prison philanthropist Edwina Grosvenor talks to Unlock’s co-director, Christopher Stacey

As part of her Justice podcast series, prison reformer Edwina Grosvenor spoke to Christopher Stacey about the stigma and obstacles faced by people as a result of their criminal record – long after they’ve served their sentence. Listen to the podcast here.

Reforming the criminal records disclosure regime – Have you a conviction that cannot become spent because it was over 4 years in prison?

We’ve published an updated briefing on reforming the criminal records disclosure regime and want to hear from you if you have a conviction that can never be spent. Find out more about how you can help.