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For people with criminal records
For people with criminal records

Tag: Seeking work -

Could you help somebody cope with prison life? Paid work opportunity – deadline 30th June

The Samaritans are looking to recruit some extraordinary people to run workshops in two London prisons. Have you got what it takes? Find out more below. But be quick – deadline 30th June 2017. 

Many people go into prison not knowing what to expect. That’s why the Samaritans and HMPPS are running a six-month pilot project in two London prisons.

They are recruiting ex-prisoners to run workshops for people who are new to prison. The two-hour workshops will focus on how to stay emotionally well and cope during a prison sentence. Samaritans are recruiting up to 15 people to run the sessions and Group Leaders will be paid (£120 per session). They’ll receive full training and support too.

Here’s what one person who has benefited from being a Samaritan had to say:

“I’ll never forget my first night in prison. I felt vulnerable and unsafe. My family, my friends, the people I loved, seemed a million miles away.

I didn’t think I was going to get through it. Who could I trust? How should I behave? And what, if anything, was going to be waiting for me at the end of my time in jail? I had blown my chances and it looked as if my life was going to be all downhill from here.

I would never have admitted it though – I was a tough guy starting a five-year sentence, and didn’t want to show any sign of weakness. I needed a mask to hide behind, and I made sure it stayed in place, I felt my life depended on it.

I kept my head down over the next few weeks but felt as low as I’d ever been. Prison is very noisy and every time you think you might fall asleep something wakes you up. And then you remember where you are.

The turning point came when one of the prison officers talked to me about the Samaritans Prison Listener scheme. He said I’d be good for it. I was sceptical, I didn’t know what it was but he said it could help me, as well as giving me a chance to help other people. A Listener came to see me later that day, and he talked to me about what was involved, how he had found the training, and how he helped other prisoners. It was the first proper conversation I had in prison.

Becoming a Listener and learning new skills really helped me. Not just inside, but in my relationships with my friends and family, as well as helping other prisoners find a way through their problems. I have learned no-one is invincible and we all put on an act of being tough. Dropping the mask was a relief for me in the end, and my training has helped me see the beginning of a different life ahead.”

If you have been in prison and especially if you have been a Listener, you can find out more about this paid opportunity here.

The deadline for applications is 30th June 2017.

Applying for work through a recruitment agency

 


Aim of this page

The aim of this page is to consider how recruitment agencies might be able to help you in your search for employment, and what you legally need to disclose to an agency about your criminal record. It also provides details of agencies who specifically help people with convictions.

Why is this important?

You only have to look at job search websites such as Indeed.co.uk and Monster.co.uk to see how many companies advertise both permanent and temporary positions via recruitment agencies. For some professions, for example teaching, approximately 90% of vacancies are advertised through recruitment agencies rather than directly by the school.

Recruitment agencies tend to only get paid when they place a successful applicant with an employer and some agencies may be tempted to weed out any CV’s or application forms that disclose a criminal record. It’s important therefore to understand the best time to disclose to increase your chances of successfully securing an interview and hopefully a job.

What are the benefits of applying for work through a recruitment agency?

  1. Recruitment agencies act as an intermediary between a company that is looking to employ someone, either on a temporary or permanent basis, and an individual who is looking for work.
  2. Most agencies have a wide range of jobs on their books and some, which start out on a temporary basis, can often turn into a permanent job. For anybody with a criminal record, this will give you the opportunity to prove yourself through your work and may help to alleviate any fears an employer has about employing somebody with a criminal record.
  3. Some agencies have exclusive access to jobs that would not otherwise be found through online searches or in newspapers etc.
  4. There are some specialist recruitment agencies who concentrate on finding work for people with a criminal record. These agencies work with employers who are more positive towards recruiting people with convictions and the agencies will have an in-depth knowledge of what type of offences will and won’t be acceptable to those employers.

Registering with an agency and disclosing your criminal record

Registering

Some agencies allow you to register your CV online. They will ask you to provide details of the location you wish to work in and the types of jobs that you want to apply for. You will then be emailed with details of any jobs which match your criteria. You will rarely be asked to provide details of your criminal record to these agencies at this stage.

Many agencies will ask you to register face to face at a local branch. The staff will discuss your skills, experiences and your salary/career expectations. You may be asked to undertake basic literacy or numeracy tests or carry out some practical tasks which allow the agency to assess any competencies you will require. You will often be asked to disclose details of your criminal record as part of the registration process especially if the jobs you will be applying for require you to have formal criminal record checks.

Disclosing

If you are registering with an agency for temporary work where the agency will be paying your wages, then legally, you will need to disclose details of your criminal record if you are asked. You should only disclose unspent convictions unless the jobs you are applying for are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. For further information see our disclosing to employers section.

The more information you give to an agency about yourself, the quicker and easier it will be for them to find you a suitable position. This means that the agency won’t put you forward for jobs which you would not be suitable for (for example jobs with organisations who have a blanket ban on recruiting people with an unspent conviction if yours is currently unspent).

As stated above, agencies tend to only get paid once they’ve successfully placed an applicant. If you believe that an agency may be loath to put you forward if you were to disclose your criminal record to them, then you may decide to say nothing and wait to disclose to the employer if you are successful. The benefit of this approach is that having secured an interview (which you may not have done if you’d disclosed to the agency), you will be able to explain the details and circumstances of your conviction to the employer face to face. There is always the chance, however, that an employer may feel as though they have been misled and your application will be rejected on this basis alone.

If you are registering with an agency who specialise in finding work for people with convictions, then it’s likely that you’ll feel a lot more comfortable about disclosing and you should be as open and upfront as possible.

Recruitment agencies and criminal record checks

The majority of agencies who are looking to place people in jobs covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, will not carry out basic criminal record checks. If they are required, they will usually be undertaken by the employer when you are offered the job.

However, agencies that recruit for care work/teaching jobs etc (especially for temporary work) will apply for Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all applicants. Many agencies will immediately reject anybody who does not have a ‘clean’ DBS certificate, irrespective of whether the offence is relevant or not. Having a criminal record will not, in most cases, stop you from doing this type of work. However, you may have more success by applying to these employers directly.

You may be asked by an agency to provide them with a copy of your DBS certificate, as this is one of their ‘standard registration requirements’. If your conviction is spent and you are not looking to work in a job which is exempt from the ROA, then you are within your rights to inform the agency that you only wish to apply for jobs which are covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and which, potentially, only require a basic criminal record check. 

Specialist recruitment agencies for people with convictions

Looking for work and disclosing a criminal record is never easy and for many people, registering with a recruitment agency that specialises in finding work for people with convictions can alleviate some of this anxiety.

Many specialist agencies will also be able to assist you in putting a CV together, prepare you for interview and advise on disclosure. The employers they work with will be aware that any applicant coming from these specialist agencies will have a criminal record.

We’ve put together a list of some of those that we know about below:.

Overlooked talent – a national organisation offering a wide range of jobs.

Pertemps – has over 100 branches throughout the UK and offers helps with finding permanent and temporary work in both the private and public sector.

Working Chance – an award winning charity specialising in helping women with convictions.

Useful links

Below you will find links to useful websites relating to this page. More specific details (including addresses and telephone numbers) of some of the organisations listed below can be found here.

More information

  1. For practical information – More information on employment
  2. To discuss this issue with others – Read and share your experiences on our online forum
  3. Questions – If you have any questions about this, you can contact our helpline.

Get involved

Help us to add value to this information. You can:

  1. Comment on this page (below)
  2. Send your feedback directly to us
  3. Discuss your views and experiences with others on our online forum

This page was last fully reviewed and updated in September 2016. If you’ve spotted something that needs updating, please let us know by emailing the details to advice@unlock.org.uk

 

A lifetime of helping people – don’t hold this one mistake against me

Job refusedMy 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

I didn’t know the real sentence would start after leaving prison

hard-work

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

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on looking for (and keeping) employment and volunteering and insurance  for people with convictions on our information site.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to education and training from people with convictions on our online forum.

Five years in the life of a person with conviction

Old Life new life image

I’d like to share with you my journey since I received my conviction over 5 years ago. In 2010, I received a conviction – the first time ever I’d had a run in with the criminal justice system.

Shortly after sentencing

Shortly after I was sentenced, I fell into a really bad rut. I lost my job and along with it, my future due to the chain reaction this caused. I disappeared off the grid for a year, closing up and only staying in contact with close family and a few very close friends. During this time I’d continued to play the ‘what if game’, the same one I did when I was awaiting sentencing. Believe me this isn’t constructive, it’s unhealthy and can make things that are completely out of your control seem a lot worse.

I considered myself unemployable due to the horror stories that I’d read online and so I signed on with the job centre. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t face years of not working, just surviving on benefits.

Coming to terms

I had difficulty coming to terms with what had happened. I kept harping back to where I was, prior to being arrested and sentenced to where I was after my arrest. All the stress I went through meant that I was a changed person and to an extent I still am. I view life completely differently now.

Prior to my arrest I worked in the City for a big financial organisation. I was building a career for myself and was looking to move abroad with my partner. There was no way I was going to be able to get back into that position and it was that sole fact that I had to deal with and come to terms with very quickly.

The fall from grace was long and hard but hitting rock bottom was the worst. I went through some of the lowest points of my life – depression, worthlessness, even suicidal thoughts. It was a really dark time but I managed to pull myself out of it.

How did I do it?  With a lot of help – close friends and family that I’d kept in touch with and believe it or not, it was also with the help of my probation officer. I also used Unlock’s forum –  I’d sit for hours and read what people had written, taking their advice and finding some solace knowing I wasn’t alone in what I was going through. After a while, I decided to become a member myself and started to contribute.

In and out of employment

After 12 months I accepted the fact that earning £30k a year was in the past and I’d have to work my way back up the ladder of trust and responsibility. It’s a game changer but once you accept it you can start to move on and rebuild yourself. It’s a lot healthier – applying for the same job that I did before sentencing wasn’t the way forward.

So there I was earning £6 an hour labouring on a building site. It was a culture shock but one I adapted to quickly and actually leant to enjoy. Finally earning money after 12 months out of work meant that I was able to get out and start meeting new people. It did me the world of good.

However, the joy wasn’t to last long. I’ve always been open and honest so when the agency I worked for asked me about unspent convictions I thought ‘no problem – I’ll tell them’. Needless to say, I was released from their employment straight away.

This happened a few times before I learned my lesson. Yes, it dragged me back towards depression and worthlessness, but knowing I’d got employment once fuelled me on. I turned to the Unlock forum again for advice and one member in particular told me:-

Apply for jobs that don’t require a criminal record check. As soon as you know a checks going to be done leave and seek employment elsewhere.

As dishonest as this may sound, believe me, this is the only way that I’ve managed to remain in employment for the past 5 years. Yes the jobs have been hard graft and in some cases damn right dirty, a far cry from crisp shirts and clean suits but it paid the bills

I’ve mainly worked in construction – labourer, handyman, tradesman’s mate and in all fairness on some of these jobs I’ve disclosed and kept my job. It’s a matter of weighing people up, knowing who to tell and who not to tell.

I’ve learnt a lot of new skills through my experience – DIY, management and most importantly life skills. I’ve met a new partner and new friends none of which I would have done were it not for my conviction.

Returning to the social circle

12 months after my conviction an old mate saw me in a pub and convinced me that I needed to get out of the social rut I was in. Being out of contact with friends for a year makes it difficult to return to – the thought of all those questions made me anxious about seeing old mates again.

I found that dealing with questions from friends is the same as employment, you don’t have to tell everyone you know about your conviction. In my case I put it down to losing my job and splitting up with my partner that had made me isolate myself and it was only my new job that enabled me to return to the social scene.

Slowly and surely with the support of my family and mates I started to regain some normality and move on from the past. My attitude to meeting new people changed, I got my confidence back and entered into a new relationship. I decided to be up front and honest with my new partner about my conviction quite early on. I felt so much better for doing so and I think it has helped her to understand me a lot better.

A steep learning curve

4 years into my sentence, changes were made to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 which I considered to be the best news ever. My conviction was spent, I applied for a job with a large company and was successful. No more manual jobs for me and a huge step towards going back to where I was before sentencing. I’d never seen this coming – didn’t dream it could happen.

All was going really well. I’d settled in fine and was finally earning a decent wage. I’d applied for my basic criminal record check and was really looking forward to handing over my clean certificate. But, once again, my world was hit with a sledge hammer. The certificate came back displaying my conviction clear as day. I researched frantically, challenged the check and sought legal advice.

Eventually I contacted Unlock and although I appreciated the time and effort they put in to researching my situation, what they told me was so disheartening. My ancillary order prolonged my rehabilitation – my conviction wasn’t spent after all. I had to wait until my order came to an end. So back to the agency I went and continued to work through them until my order finished.

As soon as the order ended, I began to apply for more jobs and was invited to 3 interviews with 3 reputable firms, all of whom offered me jobs and asked me to provide a basic disclosure certificate. I accepted a job with one of the companies and not a moment too soon, I was able to hand over my blank basic disclosure certificate.

Looking back

As you can see, over the past 5 years I’ve been through a lot. I’ve lost friends, jobs and a piece of myself. I have a more serious outlook on life now but I also have a wealth of knowledge gained from my experiences. So what would I do differently:-

Education/degree/trade

I would definitely have immediately applied to the Open University to study for a degree. Looking back, I could have used my time to learn and rebuild myself and at the end of my five years I might have had a degree or some sort of qualification. I’m still planning on studying for a degree or learning a trade so that I keep my future options open should there be any changes that impact on my current job role.

Social circles

It can be hard to socialise when you’re in that dark place with all the negativity generated by the criminal justice process. I isolated myself from many friends for about a year which really wasn’t a good move either mentally or emotionally. It also bought about anxiety when meeting new people which really didn’t help when I was seeking a new job.

Employment

The biggest challenge facing anybody with a conviction is employment and the advice I’d give anybody is:-

  • Come to terms with your fall from grace. Whatever your job role was prior to sentencing you’ll need to accept that was then and this is now. It’s hard but the sooner you do it the easier it will be to find work.
  • Many employers ask for five years of solid employment history and are cautious at taking anyone on who doesn’t have a good reason for not having this. The quicker you get into employment whether it be construction, warehouse work or driving, the quicker you begin to remove a barrier that will still be there once your conviction becomes spent. The money may not be great but challenge yourself – see how quickly you can move up that ladder. It could be the start of a great new career. Try and stay with the same company for as long as you can as this will look much better on your CV.

Today

Well, that’s my story. It hasn’t been easy for me or my partner but I’ve fought hard and I’m now moving on with my life.  Today, I’m still working for the same company, I love the industry I work in even though I would never previously have considered taking this career path (every cloud has a silver lining though).

I’ve started travelling abroad and I’m saving for a deposit for a house. In some strange way, I believe I am a better person and in a better place.

 

By Jack (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 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act for people with convictions on our information hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to success stories from people with convictions on our online forum.

Going straight and loving it

I spent about 20 years of my life abusing drugs and grafting to pay for them (you name it, shoplifting, card fraud, car crime etc). I didn’t consider doing anything else, it was just a way of life for me.

Well, as you can no doubt imagine, the day came when my luck ran out – arrested, charged and convicted. A 6 year custodial sentence for drug dealing. It was probably the shock I needed although I didn’t quite see it that way at the time. When the judge handed down the sentence, it was hard to see any sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

I quickly realised there was no point in feeling sorry for myself. Nothing to be gained by sitting in a cell smoking, drinking coffee and watching television. I began to realise that I wasn’t getting any younger and ‘ducking and diving’ wasn’t for me anymore. I needed to go straight, give up my old ways. Only one problem – what would I do? What could I do?

I began signing up for courses which would give me new skills or knowledge and I really used my time constructively. When my release date arrived, I’d already got myself a job lined up with a company that gives ex-offenders a second chance.

I enjoyed the work and stayed for about 18 months. Since then, I’ve signed up with several agencies and I’ve been working in warehouse/production type jobs. I’m not afraid of hard work and I bring home about £450 per week.

I always disclose my convictions – I don’t want the hassle of my boss finding out and being sacked – its just not worth it. So far, disclosure hasn’t caused me too many problems. I think agencies and employers value my honesty. I’m realistic about what and where I can work and I know my limitations, but I’m working and doing OK. One of the agencies I’d signed on with gave me a temporary placement at a huge production company. I’ve worked really hard since I’ve been there, keen to let my current work do the talking, not my past. I’ve been with the company about a year now and it looks as though I’m about to be taken on by them directly. This will obviously give me a lot more security but will also open a lot more doors for me – a pension, promotion ………

Getting work these days is hard – even without a criminal record. All I can say is, stick with it and good luck.

By Michael (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 support getting into work for people with convictions on our information hub.
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to getting into work from people with convictions on our online forum

From prisoner to Case Manager – Karen’s story

The article below was originally published on the Prisoners Education Trust website and we thought it would be of interest to people with convictions who are considering employment options available to them. Thanks to PET for giving up permission to re-post here. 

 

In 2012, Karen received an 18-month prison sentence. She spent four and a half months in custody, only to re-enter prison the day after she was released to mentor female prisoners. She now works as a case manager and also specialist employment broker in a prison in the south of England.  Here’s her story.

Before my case went to trial, everyone assured me that I wouldn’t be sent to prison. I was a single mother without a criminal record, being tried for a non-violent offence – I was told there was very little chance I would receive a custodial sentence. So when I was sentenced to 18 months in jail I hadn’t prepared myself at all. I’d left my daughter, who was eight, in Kent with a friend, just assuming that I’d be back that day – but obviously I wasn’t.

My sister had a break down when I told her – nothing like this had ever happened in my family. One day I was an independent person with a career and a child, the next moment it all fell apart – it was a complete nightmare.

Of course, my main worry was for my daughter. I hadn’t had the chance to explain to her what had happened, or to arrange who she would stay with. I spent a few days not knowing what would happen until eventually I was able to make a phone call and found out that she’d be able to stay with my brother. I was so relieved that she was in safe hands and would be able to go to school.

What turned everything around for me was beginning to act as a peer worker to other female prisoners. I helped with resettlement, training and education, and used my background in housing recruitment to develop relationships with local employers and get the women involved in voluntary work. I got so much from helping to empower women. A lot had never worked, were uneducated and lacked self-confidence. I met many who had come from abusive relationships and had been forced to work as prostitutes or sell drugs. For some, coming to prison was the first time they didn’t have men controlling them and were able to really think about what they wanted to do with their lives. Teaching someone to read and write is very empowering, and securing an interview or even a job made a huge difference to women, and gave them hope for their future after release.

Although it has now been recognised that there is a direct link between poor education and offending and better provision has been made in the prisons, I still get the feeling that it is very much about targets and ‘box ticking’. We need a much more bespoke service, where the individual needs of women are identified and met. Women need to be empowered; many have come from abusive relationships and they need the tools to have the courage and confidence to rebuild their lives, for themselves and their children. Not every woman wants to learn how to become a beautician or a hairdresser! There also needs to be a much broader, more relevant range of courses offered in female establishments, such as the distance-learning qualifications offered by Prisoners’ Education Trust. Education should be linked to skill shortages, such as plumbing and driving large goods vehicles.

Prisons need to recognise that we live in a world where women are as capable as men, in all areas of work and have the same desire and right to learn a skill that will facilitate a real chance of sustainable employment.

As my sentence was coming to an end and I was preparing to be released on licence, the regional head of employment, skills and learning asked if I would consider returning to the prison after my release to continue to mentor the women. This had never happened before in the history of the prison – when I told the other women they thought I was joking! When I first arrived back – the day after I was released – no one knew what to do with me, and initially I had to work off-site. But three years later I’m still working at the same prison – I’m a case manager commissioned by Women in Prison; also specialist employment broker commissioned by CXK, a charity which supports children, young people, adults and families. I’ve got my own keys and am a full member of staff, but I stay emotionally very close to the women, and I think this makes a huge difference when working with them.

I believe very strongly that a woman’s experience or prison life is very different and, in many ways much more complex than a man’s. We are in many ways stripped of what makes us female; away from our children and families.

The most painful thing for most women in prison is being unable to protect their children. As a mother myself, being separated from my daughter was agonising and made the sentence much harder to bear. There has to be other ways of sentencing female offenders; the current system (run primarily, I have to say, by men) is cruel and barbaric. How many women who are imprisoned actually pose a risk to society? We need to be better at looking at different ways of punishing women within the community. We also need to recognise that people don’t simply wake up one day thinking ‘I think I’ll commit a crime’, it’s linked to circumstances – abuse; domestic violence; poverty. We need to become better at supporting women and allowing them to make clear choices. A few months’ prison sentence doesn’t do anything apart from separate a woman from her children and put her at risk of losing her home and source of income.

That said; I believe everything happens for a reason. As a result of going to prison I’m stronger and I’m doing work that I’m really passionate about. Eventually, I was able to sit my daughter down and explain everything. I think it’s made our relationship stronger. She’s dealt with it very well, and she’s very proud of the work I’m doing empowering other women.

By Karen

 

This content originated from: Prisoners Education Trust website
Available at http://www.prisonerseducation.org.uk/stories/from-prisoner-to-case-worker-karens-story (last accessed May 2016)

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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)

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  • 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

Why do employers use criminal records? And why don’t they make their policy clearer?

I’ve just seen Unlock’s project aimed at employers. This looks at making the system fairer for people with convictions who are going through the recruitment process.

I think this is a great idea. When I was looking for work, it was so frustrating applying for jobs, having to tick the ‘yes’ box and then getting no reply. I didn’t know if this was because of my conviction or because the employer just felt that I didn’t fit the criteria for that role. However, I always had my suspicions that it was due to me ticking the ‘yes’ box on the criminal record question.

Well this led me to thinking –

Why do employers use criminal records? And why don’t they make their policy clearer?

Is it to assist them in sifting out applications.  If you tick the ‘yes’ box, is your application filed under “bin”. If this is the case, surely this must be an abuse of the system and should be stopped? However, getting an employer to admit to this would be difficult. It would be almost impossible to prove that they do this, because they will just say “You did not fit the role requirements” or “Your application was good, but I’m afraid other applicants fitted the role requirements more closely”.

Isn’t the idea of having a criminal record question for an employer to be aware that you have a conviction, and then if you are suitable for the role, your convictions can then be considered, ideally face to face? Sadly, many employers will look at your conviction on paper and make a judgement on the person you are based on that alone.

Sometimes I did get interviews, following Unlock’s advice to put “will discuss at interview” on the section of the application form asking about criminal records. However, there were two occasions when I raised it again at interview, the interviewer stopped the interview and said “We don’t employ people with unspent convictions”. That was it, interview over. If they’d put that in their application pack, I wouldn’t have applied for the job. I wouldn’t have wasted time in travelling to the interview when I knew there was no chance of success.  I wouldn’t have wasted the company’s time, they could have concentrated on the applications of the people they did consider to be eligible for the role.

I believe that employers should be open and honest in their recruitment especially when they ask the question about criminal records. It would be helpful if, in that section, they had a link to their policy regarding employing people with convictions. Then you could read it and see if it’s worth you applying based on your offence or the sentence you received. Ideally, their exclusions would be quite narrow, and instead look at each case on their merits. But if an employer simply doesn’t employ people with unspent convictions, then put that in the recruitment pack. As far as I know, it is not an unlawful statement. Employers should be open and honest about their need to know about a person’s criminal record. If they are ashamed of their recruitment policy, then they should change it.

I have now got a job after approximately 200 applications. How many of those I never had a chance of getting because of my convictions, I will never know. I suspect the majority of them. If they had been more upfront regarding their recruitment policy on employing people with convictions, then I suspect, I wouldn’t have applied for most of them, saving me many hours of my life.

By Robert (name changed to protect identity)

 

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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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