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Story Type: Successes

Life’s about reinventing yourself, not finding yourself

I’ve been reading stories on theRecord for a while now and, following my own experiences recently, I’ve felt compelled to write something in the hope that even if I can encourage just one person, then it’s been worthwhile.

Five years ago I can vividly recall myself saying to a friend ‘If you break the law, have no respect for authority or people then you deserve what you get’ – how wrong I was.

At the age of 48, I’d never been in trouble with the Police. My life was good – I had a job I loved, I had my own house, close family etc. Little did I know that in 2012 all that was going to change …….

My mother had been pretty poorly for a while and in June 2012, she lost her battle against cancer. She was my rock, my world and there wasn’t a single thing I wouldn’t have done for her but now she was gone. Loneliness doesn’t even come close to describing the emptiness that I felt – that I still feel. I had no purpose, no direction and no reason to carry on. I became isolated, just going to work and home again at the end of the day – day in, day out. Like a ‘zombie’. I wanted it to end. I didn’t want this life any more.

It was in 2015 that I received a Community Order, almost three years after my mum had passed away. What it was for, it doesn’t matter. It was a conviction, that’s all that’s important. In a strange way though it shocked me into realising that I couldn’t carry on as I had been.

I know that people have different views about their arrest, the police etc. and these are no doubt based around their own experiences. I found that the police treated me with respect, my barrister and the judge gave me a chance and even my Probation Officer believed in me – even though I still find that hard to do.

I left my job shortly after being arrested and at the age of 51, I’d assumed that my age would probably be a barrier to finding work. Well, welcome to the world of a criminal record. The world in which nobody wants to know you. I’d done wrong, and I was truly, truly sorry but employers weren’t interested in any of that.

Every single night for about 16 weeks I applied for approximately 3 jobs. Oh I got phone calls offering me work but as soon as I mentioned my conviction, the job offer was revoked – a big fat NO. Some days it was really hard to keep going but my Probation Officer encouraged me to keep trying even though I really couldn’t see the point. But, she was right.

I’m now in my third month of being back in full time employment. I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel and there’s some purpose to my life now. I’ve got a reason to get up in the morning. My message to anybody reading this would be:-

‘No matter what happens, believe in yourself. Things will be hard for sure. Changes are going to happen but don’t fear them, embrace them. As I saw on a poster recently – Life is not about finding yourself but about reinventing yourself – and that’s what I intend doing’.

 

By Jeff (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 disclosing to employers and looking for friendly employers for people with convictions on our Information Hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to seeking work from people with convictions on our online forum

USA – here I come! (at the second time of asking)

Yesterday I collected my passport from a courier in Central London – the passport that contains a new B1/B2 visa to the United States of America. Nothing remarkable there except that in my (relatively recent) past I have a serious criminal conviction. Its one for violence, that belies my otherwise law-abiding life and indeed, the kind of person I am.

I could regale you with the details of the offence, the circumstances in which it occurred, an explanation to mitigate my actions but, for the purposes of this article, there is no point because, whatever my views were or are on the matter, I was convicted and I went to prison. Written down, in black and white it looks bad.  It was bad.

I left prison (to my surprise, a very positive experience) and got on with my life. I rebuilt my relationship with my children, got a job, got married, had more children and my conviction became a distant memory, largely forgotten. Right up until the time we were invited to visit America to get to know a business client better. I knew that I wouldn’t be eligible for the visa waiver programme (ESTA) but, with seven years having passed since I went to prison, I was hopeful that I could convince the US Immigration Department that I posed no risk in spite of my crime falling well inside the category of one of “moral turpitude”.

Moral turpitude is a term that doesn’t seem to have an exact meaning. It was first used in American immigration law in the 19th century and as such some of the language associated with its description is possibly not what we would use nowadays: words like “depravity” for example I would argue have a stronger meaning today.

First time around

But, back to me. I had my interview at the US Embassy in London. I talked about the offence, the circumstances surrounding it, my current life, why we wanted to visit America, everything I was asked, I answered. I was told by the nice lady that interviewed me that she was recommending me for a visa but that the ultimate decision would be made by Homeland Security and that it would be a number of months before I would hear anything because of a large backlog of applications. I was buoyed, I thought it was a done deal. My family and friends agreed – of course they would grant me a visa because I’d never been in trouble before or since the offence, I was a family person, a company director and many years had passed.

Oh dear!! When the letter finally came I had to collect it from the local delivery office. I didn’t know what I was getting or where it had come from, only that there was insufficient postage to cover the delivery and I had to pay to collect it. I opened it in the car and promptly burst into tears. Homeland Security had rejected my application but didn’t tell me why. The added pain of having to pay extra after all the costs involved in the process just to pick up the letter they hadn’t stamped or franked was too much to bear, silly though it now seems. We went to Devon that summer instead and I forgot about it for a while. “I didn’t really want to go anyway” became my mantra.

If at first you don’t succeed….

After a couple of years I decided to reapply. I didn’t know the reason for having been turned down, other than the obvious, and felt that enough time had passed for it not to be a complete waste of time or money. If they turned me down this time I would know that there wasn’t much point in trying again, my offence was just too serious and while it’s now officially spent in this country thanks to changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 2014, it must always be disclosed to US Immigration.

A few things had changed since I last applied but, you still need to “furnish” the embassy with the same documents and pay much the same amount of money. Most of it can however be done online now, making it all a lot easier (and also meaning you are informed of decisions via email, not post).

It’s important to remember that the process can be a long one. You can wait several weeks for an embassy interview and the decision can take six months or more. I’d strongly advise against making any travel plans until such time as the decision has been made.  The documents you need to take along are:-

  • Your current passport, which must be valid for at least 6 months beyond when you want to stay in the US
  • An ACRO Police Certificate
  • A VCU-1 form which must be filled in online and printed out
  • The interview confirmation page
  • The DS-160 confirmation page
  • A passport photograph

I made sure I’d received my Police Certificate back and had passport photographs done before I started filling in any of the other forms but once I had them I filled in the DS-160, the VCU-1 and made my appointment all at the same time. My appointment was in the summer, about 4 weeks from the date I applied. I could have had an earlier appointment but I was away on holiday. I don’t know when the busiest times are but I suspect that from around May it might be busier as people realise they need to get organised for the summer.

Going to the interview at the Embassy

My experience of the interview was much the same as before. However, in the three years since I’d last applied the embassy has relaxed the rules about what you can take in with you. Last time you weren’t allowed any electronic devices at all but now you can take your mobile phone, e-reader or tablet, but not laptops or tablet keyboards and no large bags, suitcases or weapons. I arrived more than half an hour before my 8.00am appointment and was quite alarmed that there was already a large queue outside. Fortunately, the staff sorted people based on their appointment time and the line moved quickly. I whiled away the time by trying not to stare at the actor I recognised ahead of me because he was shorter (and okay, a little fuller figured) than I’d thought. Within 15 minutes I was inside, had been given my number and now just had to wait until I was called.

This is where you need to keep your wits about. There are several different kinds of numbers and although each category number is called sequentially, there doesn’t seem to be any kind of order as to which window calls which kind of category. Or when. I’d taken my Kindle with me but I really struggled to concentrate on what I was reading because I was worried about missing my number (they do give you more than one chance if you miss it). I updated Facebook, no one had heard of the actor I’d seen, or rather they just didn’t know what his name was. I sent pointless text messages to my husband, fidgeted and people watched. I saw another actor, one that people had heard of this time. I needed the loo as well but I didn’t dare to go until the interview was over, I didn’t want to miss it.

After 45 minutes or so I was called to a window to hand over my documents and have my fingerprints taken. I then returned to the waiting area to wait for my interview, still needing the loo, still unable to concentrate on my book.

I didn’t have to wait too much longer before I was called for the interview, to the same window as the one I’d been to three years previously. I saw that as a bad sign, though logic tells me now that they probably send all the people in my situation there. I was asked similar questions to before, the lady was very sympathetic and said she was going to recommend me as they’d said before. She was able to tell me that I had been refused before because it was deemed “too soon“. This had been seven years after my conviction and as we were only three years further on, the lady told me that I should be prepared for a further refusal. I left the embassy after an hour and a half, glad it was over but not at all hopeful of obtaining a visa.

I was told the decision process would take around six months. A couple of weeks before the six months were up, I received the email I wasn’t expecting – one asking me to submit my passport for visa issuance. Naturally I sent it off by special delivery within an hour of receiving the email because I didn’t want to give them the chance of changing their minds.

I had long since accepted that my chances were slim, regardless of the kind of person I feel I really am. My offence was very serious and ten years isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things.  However, don’t be put off, even if less time has passed since your conviction, whatever it was for. The embassy assess each application individually based on a number of criteria so you really can’t predict the outcome. If you are refused, you can apply again. There are no time restrictions so you could technically start the process again right away – bear in mind that the same costs apply each time and they are far from insignificant.

Now that I have my one year’s visa in my passport I’m already wondering what the renewal process is going to be like. I believe I just have to apply again, the same as before so I won’t worry about it for another six months. My main concern at present is whether I can justify the ludicrous amount of money its going to cost to fly a family of seven all the way to Los Angeles this summer!!!

By Stacey (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 to the USA for people with convictions on our Information Hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to this from people with convictions on our online forum

Learning to forgive myself!

In the 1990’s I got a conviction for GBH. I hit a guy and he suffered brain damage; he very nearly died. At first I was told I would be facing a charge of murder. Things were so close.

I found it very difficult in prison, beyond any stress level I had encountered before, but as it was my first offence I managed to transfer very quickly to an open prison. That was better, but it wasn’t until my last week inside that I could actually lift my head up and look at other people. I was really depressed and a little paranoid. One thing that I did find in prison was a small book about meditation and Buddhism – I was desperate to find some way to relax. It helped a bit to read the stories in the book. The fact I was reading this meant I didn’t finish myself off.

Despite being so frozen with fear whilst in prison, I still felt nervous when I left half way through my sentence. I found it really difficult to go out, I was just scared and thought that the people at the bus stop might be talking about me. I wasn’t well. Depressed? Lost? Shattered?

Luckily for me, my old employer let me have my job back. I worked in a laboratory at that time. However, they wanted me to be interviewed by a psychologist just to ‘be on the safe side’ before letting me back. I was given the choice of either seeing a psychologist from the probation service, a psychiatrist or I could go and see the psychotherapist that worked at the university where I was employed. I opted to go to see the psychotherapist – thinking I would just go for a one off interview.

Well …. I ended up having weekly psychotherapy for 13 years! But .. they were a really interesting and amazing 13 years!

When I first came out of prison I was in my late 20’s. I’d never had an actual girlfriend, never caught a train by myself and never really been anywhere. I lived at home with my parents as I’d done since I dropped out of university in my first term. I had very low self esteem – always had.

The fact is I needed psychotherapy, but it would never have crossed my mind before prison. I came from a very working class family and things like that were just off the radar for me. While at the open prison I used to go and have a cup of tea and a chat with a nun who used to come and talk to the prisoners. I didn’t believe in God but talking to somebody was a life-line for me.

It was so helpful to have my job. At least I could go back to some of the safety I had been hiding behind before. However, after a couple of years of therapy I was changing. I was able to walk around town without thinking I was going to be beaten up or killed, without feeling ashamed.

By this time I had moved out of my parents home and was amazed to find that I could survive by myself, cope with paying bills and being alone. I had also started catching trains by myself and used to go to Cardiff, Bristol and London and look round the shops. Then I travelled to Tibet and South Korea to explore and to stay in a Zen Buddhist temple for a short while. This interest in voluntary work continued and I started volunteering back home for a mental health project.

I felt life was a really precious thing. I had destroyed one person’s life and part of me felt I didn’t deserve it – but it wouldn’t have helped to destroy my life too. I also realised that I didn’t want to work in the lab anymore. It was a good job with a future but it wasn’t right for me. I wanted to be a psychotherapist. I was worried about how my record would affect that. My conviction would not become spent for many more years and if you work with vulnerable people it never does really.

I found a place that would give me an interview, actually a lot of counsellors and psychotherapists have come through difficult times – some have been to prison.

The course, the therapy and the travel back and forth to London was going to be very expensive and I had no idea how to pay for it. Also my employer, despite having been brilliant were not willing to give me day release to go and do the course. I had to find another job if I was going to do it. I’m sure you all know that it’s not easy with an unspent conviction for violence.

The course was going to start so despite being really scared and wondering if I was a bit crazy, I gave up my job at the Uni and now unemployed, gave all the money I had ever saved up to pay for my first years tuition. I needed a job straight away but despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find a decent job and ended up getting a zero hours minimum wage job in a pub. They were nice there, but I still needed something paying a bit more.

After six months and the benefit of references from the Uni, my voluntary work placement and the pub, I got a job working with adults with learning difficulties. They were willing to listen to the circumstances around my conviction and gave me a chance. They were really challenging clients with autism. I was getting beaten up and bitten every week but I was so much happier than at the Uni. The pay was still pretty poor, about a pound an hour better than before – I still have that job!!!

It took eight years of training but I am now a fully qualified psychotherapist registered with the UKCP. I have my own practice and some private clients. I hope one day to get to the point where I can rely on the income from my psychotherapy work.

Even now, I still struggle from time to time with self-esteem issues but ……..I got married recently and had a Buddhist blessing last week.

So hang on in there folks, everything changes, including you.

The man I hit died not long ago. He died young. I’m not sure if this was related to the injury I had caused but I guess it is likely. I can’t make it better, I’m sorry.

Something I can do is use my precious life to help other people to know that their lives are precious too – every single one of you – whatever you have done.

 

By Terence (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 DBS checks and disclosing to employers for people with convictions on our information hub
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to this from people with convictions on our online forum

The Google Effect – You can be forgotten!

I’d just started a new relationship when I sat my girlfriend down and disclosed my conviction to her. Out of interest, we decided to check Google to see if we could find out any information about my conviction on there – it was spent so I’d presumed there wouldn’t be anything. Well, imagine my shock and horror when it came up right in front of me.

I’d been looking to start a new business and I was now really really worried that people who I’d be working for would be able to Google me and see everything about my past. How would these people see me now? Would they still want to work with me? How could this be fair? If an employer did a basic criminal record check on me nothing would show up but because of Google, my spent conviction was still splashed all over the web even though I hadn’t legally had to disclose it for about six months.

How would I be able to move on with my life knowing that anybody could see my conviction on the web and then make a judgement about me, even though I was rehabilitated and had moved on with my life?

Luckily I found Unlock. They were really sympathetic and understood the impact of the so-called ‘Google Effect’. They informed me that as my conviction was spent, I should write to Google and request that they remove the link. They even helped me to draft the letter to Google ensuring that it contained the relevant information to back up my request. I set out in my letter that my conviction was spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and that the information held about me was irrelevant, outdated and inappropriate.

I sent a similar letter to the website that the article appeared on.

Imagine my joy when I received replies back from Google and the website stating that they were happy to remove my links from the web.  Now when I do a search on my name, nothing comes up. I feel that I can move forward with my life not having to worry.

I would recommend this that anyone who has a spent conviction and is in the same position as I was. Write to Google and request your link is removed. After all, we should all have the right to move on from our past mistakes.

By Julian (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 the google-effect for people with convictions on our information hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to this from people with convictions on our online forum
  • Policy work – Read about the policy work Unlock is doing on the google-effect

Barriers to education – see the person, not the offence

 

This petition was originally published by Kim and can be found at Petitions24.com.  Many of you will have come across similar problems and may have been prevented from completing a course of study due to problems securing work placements. If you agree with the issues raised, please support Kim by visiting the website and signing her petition.   

Update

We’re delighted to hear that Kim has had a meeting with the College Principal who was very positive and told her she had the full support of the College and would be able to continue with her education and attend the work placement that she was originally denied.  Kim stated:-

“I’m so emotional right now so can’t think of what to write other than thank you. I will continue to fight for people with an offending background to break down the barriers I faced. The last week has been so stressful but I can finally look forward to my future again.” 

 

Barriers to education- See the person, not the offence

My name is Kim. I am a student studying for an HNC working with communities. Part of my course is to do a 200 hours work placement. I found my own placement and submitted my pvg. I was as honest as I could be and my pvg came back with no restrictions and I wasn’t barred from working with anyone but, my previous convictions where on it!

In 2005 I was charged with a toxic crime racial assault which of course I deeply regret! I have never been nor am racist. It was a reaction I really regret I didn’t understand the impact this sort of behaviour would have on another but I do now I learned from my mistakes. Due to this 10 year old crime my college won’t let me do the placement as a student therefore I can’t complete the work so will fail my full course. If I fail the course then I won’t get into university which has been a real motivation to me in turning my life around!

It took me 2 years to get into college in the first place I had to fight and prove myself worthy of the place. I do have an offending back round one that I  regret but I can’t change it I’m not a bad person I just made some bad choices and it’s because of my background I want to help other young people who have been in my situation and I’ve done everything In my power to turn my life around and give my wee boy the life I never had. I speak at events about how I turned my life around and I am passionate about helping young people stay clear off committing offences so they are not in the position I am in now!

I was 17 at the time of the offence leading up to that night. I had been sleeping rough my life was out of control but the last few years all I have done is make positive changes in my life and have done everything to become a hard working member of society. I have a clean pvg so why should I still be punished for crimes I committed 10 years ago! I am passionate about change I want a career in the criminal justice system helping young people before they get into offending. I feel I am being forced out of the college I love and the course I love and I haven’t been given valid reasons. They said they where following a college policy but when challenged it turned out they don’t even have one in place for ex offenders!! So I’m facing this prejudice and descions are being made by people who dont know me. They just look at a bit of paper and see the crime not the person, they have me high risk in the college scoring system but none of them have met me & yet my pvg is fine, I feel I’m being discriminated against and all I want to do is finish my education.

Please share my petition and help me break down barriers to education for people with a offending background we must not be defined by our crimes I have changed – why should I still be punished?? I want to continue my education please help me raise awareness not just  for me but anyone else in my position as everyone has a right to have a education no matter what your background is. Thank you ❤️

 

Following the petition going live, Kim has made the folliwng comment on the Petitions24.com website:-

Firstly I’d like to thank you all so much for all the support. I am overwhelmed at how many signatures, shares and lovely messages I have received in such a short space of time. I find it really hard to express myself on this matter as I feel like it has been a never ending cycle of disappointments over the last few years and the only thing that keeps me strong is the love I have for my son and my determination not to fail him and give him the life he deserves. I always get within reaching distance like everything is going well and then out of the blue my past haunts me and I’m back again having to fight and prove I’m not the person people assume I am because of my behaviour when I was at the lowest points of my life.

My heart is pounding out of my chest as I write this as I am terrified of what the outcome of this can be but I know I have to stand up for myself. I’m so tired of being rejected because of my past. Why am I still doing a sentence for offences I committed when I was seriously off the rails. My life wasn’t easy, I made really bad choices and I will never excuse anything. I have no excuses, I own every single think I ever did wrong and I’m deeply sorry to anyone my behaviour ever affected. I have learnt from my mistakes and turned my life around, is that not what matters?? When am I allowed to just be Kim in the here and now. Not Kim the ex-offender. Why can’t I get an education or job without facing barriers?? I have the right to just be Kim and not have the past hang over me for the rest of my life. I did my sentence but it feels like I am doing life with the past and I want out of this prison of being rejected and judged – I am not my crimes!

I will keep everyone posted on my journey. Please keep sharing and help me get on the placement and finish my course. I really believe convictions spent should be automatically wiped off PVG’s. I believe if there are no bars or restrictions on your PVG then employers or college/university should not get to see your convictions! The PVG is to protect vulnerable groups so who’s protecting us once we have paid back out debt to society and if we are not a risk to anyone? We are people that made mistakes that’s all.

Thank you all so much again from the bottom of my heart I will reply to you all if I can.

 

This content originated from: Petition24.com
Available at Petition24.com (last accessed 22nd January 2016)

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on applying to university on our Information Hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to this from people with convictions on our online forum

Dealing with my barriers and borders

This post comes from Carlotta, one of Unlock’s trustees who has recently travelled to Australia. She has agreed for it to be re-posted on theRecord from her original blog.

 

I guess it is only fitting that I have a painful reminder of the events that brought me to Australia, in a round about kind of way. As I was sat on the plane I was thinking about how flying long haul is a little bit like sharing a cell with people. Strangers are invading your personal space. I had to tell them if I needed the toilet. I had to squeeze past them, touch them and hear them snore. I could not help but talk to one of them. To my right was a nice Australian lady called Kate, she had been in London visiting her son, we had cups of tea in the darkness together, she gave me tips and ideas, brought me snacks and we talked films. To my left a quiet, young French man with the enviable ability to sleep most of the time. Towards the end of the flight some paperwork started coming round, forms to fill in. Here we go – ‘Have you been to Africa in the last three months?’ ‘Do you have one or more criminal convictions?’.

As we filed off the plane into Sydney airport my anxiety level was rising a little. I knew it would be fine, of course, I did, I did, I convinced myself. I had researched the visa situation extensively. With my position as a Trustee at Unlock, I was more aware than most of dealing with my record in an upfront way. I was prepared.  BUT STILL, as I queued I felt my temperature rising, my breath getting shallow, my head spinning with ‘what if’s’ – I was filtered out of the general population of travellers as I couldn’t use the e-portals, I was a special case, I had to queue at a special desk, say goodbye to Kate, I felt embarrassed as I did not feel like sharing it with her in my exhausted state.

I thought, ‘I’m going to just front this out, just say it as it is’ – so I approached the desk confidently and said

‘I need to declare some historic offences, that’s why I cannot use the machines’ – my bravado was false, my voice was breaking – raised eyebrows

‘Okay what exactly?’

‘I spent 8 months in prison for drug trafficking 18 years ago’ – blush, squirm, judged, humiliated ……..

‘This will have to go to my boss, one moment’

I am led away to the immigration office. I know it will be fine. IT WILL BE. But I am tired and vulnerable and I feel tears pricking my eyes. ‘Okay, can you just fill in this form about your full criminal history please. Can you tell me more about your trip to Australia?’ I was prepared, had my itinerary, my conference registration, support letters. I told the officer I had started a charity as a result of my own experiences and that had now brought me to Australia.

She took everything away, a back room, a stern boss. For 20 minutes I waited, sweating, playing out worse case scenarios in my head. It was fine. Of course it was fine, she came out smiling, said my work was really interesting, she would love to work in prisons – she really believes in redemption – she wished me luck as she sent me on my way.

 

By Carlotta

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on travelling to Australia on our Information Hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to this from people with convictions on our online forum

Sam’s top tips for job hunting

Like lots of people with convictions, I’ve struggled to get work. You know how it is, if the employer asks about unspent convictions you have to tell them but if they don’t ask then you can keep quiet. If like me, you’re still on Licence then your Probation Officer might tell you to disclose even when you’re not asked.

So with this in mind, I’ve ticked the ‘Yes’ box on application forms and heard nothing. If I’ve been able to send off my CV and secured an interview I’ll always disclose my conviction if I’m asked during the interview. But even when I think the interviews gone really well, I hear nothing more.

Well, I’ve got a job now and thought I’d write something about my own experiences just in case it helps someone out there with no job who is worrying about their future.

I work in the highly exciting world of produce processing – basically stacking vegetables in containers after they’ve been graded. It’s a massive step back, my pay is probably a third of what it was 4 years ago and I really hate the job. It’s tedious, mind numbing and I always go home with a back ache. Having said that, I’m grateful to be working. I’m being paid, I work with some great people (so I’ve got some sort of social contact) and it gives me a little more focus to my life.

I’ve been at the company for 5 months now and I’ve been promoted twice.  The first was a very modest promotion – just a slightly higher hourly wage.  However, more recently I’ve moved into a supervisory role. I’m still being paid below the living wage, but it’s really good to see that my hard work is being noticed. Like most people, I hated having to come in at the bottom, but things are what they are and I can now see more clearly a route forward (and upwards).  Despite what I originally thought and felt, there really is no shame in starting again at the bottom.

So what have I learnt that I can pass on? Well I believe that ‘dumbing’ down my CV was really important. By making it simpler and not ‘bigging’ myself up employers stopped asking lots of awkward questions – you know the sort, ‘why do you want to work in a warehouse when you’ve previously held a senior management position?’. I also changed my tact in where I applied for jobs. I found that organisations who tended to employ higher levels of foreign workers were less likely to ask about cautions and convictions and usually didn’t do criminal record checks (I don’t know why).

One thing that was holding me back were the gaps in my CV. I’d previously registered a limited company – the company failed – but what it did do was provide me with a legitimate ‘filler’ for my CV with an address, name and company number that could be checked. As I was my last previous employer, it was a good way around the question of ‘may we contact your last employer’.

I’ve also had to change my mind set – I’ve realised that I have a conviction which I can do nothing about. I just have to live with it. Coming to terms with this enabled me to start searching for organisations that might be able to assist me and it was then that I came across the Unlock website. This showed me how many people have convictions, many honest, hard-working and intelligent just wanting a fair chance in life. Reading the stuff on-line has helped me so much and at last, I can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

 

By Sam (name changed to protect identity)

 

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Convictions accounted for!

In 2006 I received a custodial sentence for possession with intent to supply. Prison gave me lots of time to reflect on my past and consider my future and I realised that when I was eventually released, I didn’t want to carry on like before, – I wanted to change.

I had been fairly successful academically and when I was sentenced, I had been in the final year of a Computer Science degree. I went on to finish this after I was released from prison.

Once I’d graduated, I started to look for work and this is where my troubles began. As soon as I mentioned my conviction nobody was interested in taking my application any further. The only work I was successful at getting was a short term, temporary admin job which didn’t require any criminal record disclosure or check.

I tried to keep positive, telling myself that someone would eventually give me a chance and that’s exactly what happened – I got a job as an Assistant Buyer. I did this for about a year until the company went into Receivership and I was back on the jobs market again.

I managed to get another job quite quickly as a Coordinator. The job had quite a lot of financial content to it which I really enjoyed and so I started voluntarily shadowing one of the company’s finance guys to get more experience. At last I’d found something that I thought I could make a career of. I contacted the AAT for advice about routes into finance work and joining the AAT and they explained that I’d need to go through a thorough process of vetting to be allowed to join them as a Student Member. This included sending copies of police reports, a CRB application form (as it was then), job references and reports from my Probation Officer. The process took nearly 6 months for the AAT to finally decide to give me the green light. I was over the moon – I had a real chance here to build on the experiences at work and the opportunity to be a part of a recognised professional association.

I started studying through the AAT and quickly passed modules and progressed to the next level. I then started applying for dedicated finance jobs. I always disclosed my convictions in a separate private letter providing employers with the full context of where I was at the time of my offence and where I am now.

Eventually I was offered a job with a Housing Association – this was it, a foot in the door. I started seeing all sorts of opportunities opening up with salaries I wouldn’t have dreamed of a few years before. I had a long conversation with the Senior HR Manager about my convictions after which I was given a contract to sign and a start date. This was a really successful time in my career during which I passed my AAT examinations and became a qualified member.

The next step academically was to become part of a Chartered accounting body – the likes of ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA etc. I had ambition, experience and with the support of my Deputy Finance Director and Line Manager I decided to pursue an application to join CIMA. I contacted their student membership department who asked me to email my application. It was a very similar process to what I’d gone through with AAT and 2 weeks after my application they accepted me, stating that I would eventually be able to join as a full member once I’d qualified. I have since progressed through CIMA now sitting the Management Level papers.

I spent 2 years at the Housing Association before earning a promotion. I’ve been doing this new job for just over a year and then a couple of weeks ago, I was offered a move to another Housing Association as a Project Accountant. I made my criminal record declaration in the usual way but for the very first time ever, wasn’t asked anything else about it.

I feel like I’m well on the way to becoming a fully qualified Chartered Management Accountant, with good job prospects. This time next year I won’t have any legal requirement to declare my convictions for roles covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. I’m already doing better than many of my counterparts who don’t carry the baggage I do and I think I can really make the grade if I continue to work hard. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but seriously if I can do it – anyone can. You really need that drive, commitment and optimism to keep pushing yourself. If you’re honest with yourself, I think someone out there will give you a chance.

59 convictions and only just going to prison!!!

I have a long criminal record (59 convictions under the Street Offences Act) and have experienced many barriers into employment. I was refused OFSTED registration due to my spent convictions when I wanted to become a child care practitioner and had to appeal OFSTED’s decision in a Care Standards Tribunal. I won the decision of the panel with no legal support whilst my opponents had a Treasury barrister at their disposal.

I was offered a Teaching Assistant role after declaring my convictions on an application form and in a written disclosure letter. Once my CRB (as it was then) came back, the conditional job offer was withdrawn. I had been in post for over a month but suddenly my application documents couldn’t be found (to prove that I had indeed declared my convictions) and my employers denied ever having seen my disclosure letter.

By now I was becoming extremely frustrated and started volunteering as a mentor for Catch 22 working with ex-offenders that were subject to probation services. I was also involved with St Giles Trust where I also worked as a volunteer. Both these roles involved helping people to overcome barriers into better and brighter futures.

I gained NVQ qualifications in Mentoring, Mental Health Awareness, Substance Misuse Awareness, Employability and a Level 3 in Information Advice and Guidance. I also attended many additional workshops to assist me in my volunteering roles.

I applied for a role with a Young Offenders Services and was accepted after interview. Again, I wrote a disclosure letter (this time with the help of the Skills and Employment team at the St Giles Trust) and got clearance from both the Directors of Children’s and Family Services.

I was contacted recently by one of the new Community Rehabilitation Companies and was invited to an interview for a Through the Gate role. I had put my CV on a website CV Library and they had found it. The long and short is that I was interviewed and offered the job. I needed prison clearance, but my prospective employers did not envisage any problems from my conviction. For any job, I make a habit of mentioning my conviction but most importantly, how they would positively impact on my service delivery.

I thought long and hard about taking up this role. The knowledge that my convictions wouldn’t be a problem was great to hear but my role at the Young Offenders Service was really expanding. I had started to act as an appropriate adult attending police stations and doing escorts to youth court. I’d also completed some training to facilitate restorative justice processes. In the end I turned down the job with the CRC but feel so proud of myself for getting so far in the process.

It has been a long tiresome road but I think that I am finally able to put my conviction history behind me and am now able to be completely empathetic to others in situations similar to my own using my personal experience to help them to move on.

I am sharing my story in the hope it will inspire and give courage to others facing the kind of obstacles I have scaled.

By Bernadette* (name changed to protect identity)

Volunteering – Helping me to live life at last

I wanted to write about my recent experience of volunteering. Although it was at Unlock, I think my experience is is equally valuable to anybody who is looking for work and feeling despondent about the future. Volunteering was the start to a new brighter phase of my new life.

Prior to volunteering, I had been applying for jobs, getting to the interview stage and then being knocked back because I had a conviction. It would be fair to say that I felt excluded from society and would describe my life as surviving, rather than living.

Getting through the interview and being offered the volunteering role at Unlock was a big boost to my confidence. I was treated like a normal person throughout the whole process, even when discussing my conviction. I was being judged on my skills and abilities and not just on a piece of paper with my conviction on it. I felt accepted and empowered to prove that I still had the skills and abilities to work and contribute to help Unlock provide a good service to its clients.

I always looked forward to the 2 days I volunteered at Unlock, working with the staff and volunteers where I felt totally accepted. Everyone worked together to provide the best service to the people who would contact us for help and advice.

I felt normal, having a purpose to get up in the morning. Usually my life revolved around trying to get the enthusiasm to get up and apply for jobs that I knew I wouldn’t get because of my conviction. This changed with volunteering. I proved to myself that I was a good worker who had the skills and abilities to get back into the work place and contribute. I started to apply for jobs with a renewed confidence, feeling better able to deal with disclosing my conviction when asked.

Volunteering with Unlock opened my eyes to the multitude of issues that people with convictions have to deal with. It showed me that I was not alone and that there were people who were worse off than me, yet coping with life.

Just being able to give advice, information and support to people to help them move on, gave me a great sense of satisfaction and brought home the important work that Unlock undertakes, as they try to help people with convictions move on with their crime free lives.

I have now started a new job and whilst there are still challenges ahead, volunteering with Unlock has given me the confidence to deal with these in a more positive fashion, not to become depressed and move forward knowing that I am a good person who can provide an employer with a good employee.

I am now starting to live my life and not survive it.

By Robert (name changed to protect identity)

 

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