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For people with criminal records
For people with criminal records

Tag: University

An education, a job and a future; look how my life has changed

Despite a pretty awful childhood, the support of her foster family enabled Maddie to follow her dream of becoming a social worker.

My childhood sounds like something from a Martina Cole novel. I came from one of those families that you see on the Jeremy Kyle show.

Dad left before I was born and my mum was an addict – drink, alcohol, controlling men!! There were many times I’d come home from school to find her passed out either drunk or coming down from a high and I got used to patching her up after her latest boyfriend had used her as a punchbag.

It was after a particularly bad beating that social services stepped in and I was ‘removed from her care’. I was told that it wouldn’t be for long, she just needed a bit of time in rehab to get herself clean. I saw her a couple of times after that but it was obvious that she wouldn’t be able to beat her addiction.

Aged 12 and living with a foster family I realised that I’d never live with her again. I found it hard to accept that she’d put drugs and alcohol before her child and, just as she’d given up on me, so I gave up on myself.

I started mixing with older kids staying out late, smoking and drinking cider. My foster parents tried everything they could to help me but I didn’t want to know.

With the genes I had, it wasn’t really surprising that I’d dabble with drugs, a bit of weed to start with and then harder stuff. It was a slippery slope and to fund my habit I started to offend – shoplifting, theft, possession.

My life was out of control but my foster family stuck by me, even when I treated them appallingly. After one particularly nasty argument my foster ‘mum’ quietly and calmly told me that she was worried that one day I’d be found dead or end up in prison.

I’m pleased to say that neither of these things happened, instead I became pregnant at 15. I wasn’t sure who the father was but I knew that I wanted to keep the baby and that I had to sort myself out. I stopped drinking and taking drugs and started to eat regularly and healthily. After a lot of meetings with social services it was agreed that I could stay with my foster family and we started to prepare for the birth.

I was 5 months pregnant when I miscarried. “Just one of those things” I was told “Nobody’s fault”. But how could I not blame myself; drugs, alcohol and babies don’t mix. I don’t know what I would have done without my foster family, they were with me every step of the way and made me realise that I had to do something to make my babies life count.

I knuckled down at school and stayed on to do my ‘A’ levels in the sixth form. I wanted to be a social worker but I worried that the issues I’d had with drink and drugs would stop me doing so. As it turned out, this wasn’t the problem but my criminal record certainly was.

I applied to 3 universities; two refused me and one offered me a conditional offer subject to seeing my DBS. When the certificate arrived I was told that my application would need to be risk assessed by a panel before my offer could be confirmed.

Following the panel meeting, the university contacted me to let me know that my application had been refused. They did however give me the opportunity to appeal the decision.

I spent a lot of time on my appeal letter making sure that I set out the circumstances that had led to my offending and the reasons why I’d chosen to change my life. I got advice from organisations that worked with people with convictions and also contacted the Health and Care Professions Council who are responsible for regulating the work of social workers to make sure that I would be able to enter the profession after I’d gained my degree. Wherever I could, I provided evidence to back up my arguments.

I was delighted to hear that my appeal had been successful and I loved every aspect of studying. I worked hard and ended up with a 2:1. Part of my degree involved a placement with a local council and when I’d finished my degree I was offered a full time job. I’ve been there for just over 8 years now and have never once regretted the choice I made.

I doubt whether I’d have achieved what I have without the support of my fantastic foster family. They played (and continue to play) a huge role in my life and it’s for that reason that I’m now considering becoming a foster carer myself.

I’m not sure a Martina Cole novel would have ended this way but I’ve got no complaints.

By Maddie  (name changed to protect identity)

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  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • For practical information – More information can be found on our information hub site on applying to university
  • To discuss this with others – Read and share your experiences on our online forum.

What a difference 5 years makes – applying to university with a criminal record

Megan was extremely disappointed when her university application for a nursing degree was refused on the basis of her criminal record. However, after taking time out to re-evaluate her career and her conviction, Megan applied again and was offered places at 3 different universities.

 

Nursing had always been my ultimate goal in life and I was very close to this dream becoming a reality when what I’m about to explain happened and all of that hard work and commitment had pretty much destroyed this dream.

I was involved in an incident which resulted in a conviction for two counts of common assault. I was two exams away from finishing my access to nursing course at college and had already applied to university to study adult nursing. I was advised from all 5 universities to which I’d applied that as I hadn’t yet been convicted (the court case was still pending at this time) that I was to attend the interviews as normal, and to advise the university when there was an outcome. As soon as I was aware of the outcome I informed the university and was told to attend a CRB Panel Meeting for a decision to be made as to whether I would be accepted onto a nursing course.

After the CRB Panel Meeting it was decided that I could not progress onto a nursing course at that time and was advised to reapply again in the future. At this point, quite frankly, I had lost all hope. Even though it had only been 9 months since the incident, it had only been five months since the date of my conviction, so it was very ‘new’ and not much time had passed from the incident itself.

I took some time out to decide my next steps as nursing was all I’d wished to do career wise. I saved up as much money as I could and went travelling for a while. Upon my return, I knew that my passion and goal to become a registered nurse was still very much alive, so I made a list of things to which I hoped would help my application to university next time around. I involved myself in various voluntary roles such as working in charity shops, volunteering with animals etc. I was then fortunate enough to start a voluntary post at a hospice, where I gained fantastic experience and made some lifelong friends along the way.

A short while later, I decided it was time to reapply to study nursing again; it had now been 5 years since my conviction. I applied through UCAS and of course the UCAS application form asked (* see editorial note below) if you have any spent or unspent convictions. At this stage, all that was required was a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question.

I was invited to interviews at 3 out of 5 university’s that I’d applied to and after attending CRB Panel Meetings I was offered places at all 3 universities. I chose the one I wanted to study at and very happily accepted the offer. I have now just come to the end of Year 1 of training and have had the best year of my life so far!

It was difficult at the time of the incident to accept what was happening and it was easier to blame everyone and everything but myself. It was just over a year since the date of my conviction when I realised I had to take responsibility for my actions and although I did not choose to be in that situation to begin with, I still had a choice – I should have thought more rationally and chosen differently.

Although I sincerely regret my choice of actions and how it had impacted every part of my life, it made me realise just how much becoming a nurse meant to me personally. I knew that the best shot of this happening was to stay focused and reflect and learn from everything that had happened.

Always keeping the end goal (becoming a qualified nurse) at the front of my mind, helped me get myself there, taking little steps at a time. It made me realise that it was a mistake that I made and something that happened in my past, but it didn’t define who I was as a person now.

My passion for nursing has never once faded and truly I cannot wait until I reach my goal of becoming a VERY happy qualified nurse.

By Megan (name changed to protect identity)

 

Comment from Unlock

We’re delighted to hear that following her second application to study nursing at university, Megan secured offers from 3 universities. As 5 years had passed since her conviction and Megan was able to demonstrate that she’d been in no further trouble, all 3 universities would have had more confidence that she posed little risk to the university and its students/staff. However, as Megan herself states, by the time she’d made her second application she’d taken responsibility for her convictions which could have made a difference to how the universities saw her.

* Editorial note – Since 2018, UCAS no longer ask a general question about unspent convictions, but for courses like nursing there is still a question about criminal records.

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
  • Discuss this issue – There are some interesting discussions related to applying to university.

What’s the right chemical formula to getting a place at university?

Despite proving that academically she’s capable of studying for a chemistry teaching qualification, Paris’ conditional university offer was revoked after the university’s criminal records panel felt that court transcripts given to them didn’t provide enough information to allow them to adequately risk assess her. 

 

In 2015 I received a suspended sentence for the transportation of illegal immigrants across an EU border. I was in a really bad place at the time having fled the UK with my two children after being a victim of domestic violence at the hands of my ex-husband. I committed the offence under duress and I’m pretty sure the judge believed this to be the case as was reflected in the sentence I received.

Six months ago I applied to university to study for a qualification to teach chemistry. I disclosed my conviction and was delighted to hear that I’d been given a conditional offer. I was told that I needed to apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check which I was asked to take to the enrolment day.

On the day my course started I was called into a meeting with the course director and told that my DBS certificate had flagged up a serious conviction which he needed to investigate further. I was shocked that this hadn’t been dealt with sooner but more than happy to provide him with anything he needed to help him make a decision about my future study.

He asked me to provide a statement of the circumstances surrounding my offence and also for a character reference – I gave him both. Sadly he didn’t feel that this was enough and asked me to provide him with the court documents which again, I did. I was then told that it would be necessary for an independent panel to review the documentation and make a decision.

All the time this was going on I was studying hard, doing my homework, making friends and I was really motivated to succeed. In mid-September I was told that the university were withdrawing the offer as the panel didn’t feel that the court papers I’d supplied provided enough information to adequately back up my story and allow them to properly risk assess me. He told me that I would always face this problem and it was unlikely that I’d be accepted by any other teacher training provider.

I was humiliated, heartbroken, devastated and livid all at the same time. I’d been honest from the beginning and I’d worked extremely hard and achieved so much already as a single mother fighting my way out of poverty and an abusive relationship. I’m passionate about teaching and making chemistry accessible to all especially those students with special educational needs.

The university has not only shattered my dreams but the dreams of everyone who has been supporting me through my difficult journey. My children’s school provided me with 10 hours of childcare, allowing me to pay them when my childcare grant came through. A local charity gave me some money for a further 2 weeks of childcare so that I could complete my chemistry and physics practicals.

When my fellow students found out what had happened they started a petition. My tutor burst into tears and said she would see what she could do to help but none of this did any good. In fact, when the university found out about the petition my classmates were told not to aggravate the situation any further!

I’m currently in the process of appealing the university’s decision but I’m not feeling particularly confident. I don’t want the university to do me any favours, I’ve already shown that I’m good enough to be offered a place now I just want the opportunity to get on and study and make a better life for myself and my children.

By Paris (name changed to protect identity)

 

A comment from Unlock

Sadly Paris’ story is not unusual with many universities being very risk averse towards people with a criminal record. There is no evidence to suggest that students with a criminal record commit more crimes on campus than those without a criminal record.

We believe that universities should judge applicants on their previous academic achievements and experience and we are working with and encouraging UCAS/universities to amend and improve their application processes.

We are supporting Paris with her appeal and we hope to provide a positive update soon!

 

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From prisoner to probation officer – securing a job as a probation officer with a criminal record

Back in 2005 when I was about 16 years old my mum made the brave decision to move me and my younger brother from London to Wales. Although I’d never got into any serious trouble, I’d been hanging around with the ‘wrong-crowd’ and had started to get more and more involved in the whole gang scene. My mum could see that I was becoming more drawn in and was terrified that I’d either end up dead or in prison. When she was given the opportunity to relocate with her job, she grabbed it with both hands.

Although I worked hard at my new school and got 10 GCSE’s I still had that ‘gang mentality’ and was a magnet for local Welsh gangs who looked upon me as a ‘proper London gangster’. I’d started to study for my ‘A’ levels but when I wasn’t at college, I’d be selling drugs for my new Welsh ‘friends’.

In 2007, just after my 18th birthday, the inevitable happened and I was arrested and charged with possession with intent to supply. I wasn’t really surprised when the judge sentenced me to a 2 year 10 month sentence and took my punishment like a man. But I fell apart like a baby when I looked over to my mum and saw the tears and look of disappointment in her eyes. I knew immediately that I had to change, I had to make my mum proud of me, whatever happened.

Prison is prison and the worst part of it is the boredom. The prison education department arranged for me to sit my ‘A’ levels. There begun my interest in learning and gaining more knowledge and I was lucky enough to be able to study for a couple of Open University modules.

The prison education department were great. I think they could see how desperate I was to change my life around and they gave me all the help they could. As I started to think about release, I decided that what I wanted more than anything was to continue my education and study for a degree and with this in mind I started applying to different universities. After being rejected by several as a result of my criminal record, I was invited to attend an interview upon my release at a university in Wales. The interview couldn’t have gone better. I didn’t feel as though I was being judged I just got the impression that they wanted to offer me a place and wanted me to succeed.

In September 2009 I started a degree in sociology. A lot of the course was geared around human behaviours which totally fascinated me. I loved learning and was extremely motivated to do well. As well as studying I also started doing voluntary work with an organisation who worked with youth groups and in particular, those who were at risk of getting involved with gangs. Disclosing my conviction was no problem, if anything I used it as a positive rather than a negative and the organisation viewed it in the same way.

After 3 years of study I got a 2:1 in sociology. I’m not saying that I wasn’t happy with my result but I quickly realised that when I applied for jobs I’d be up against other graduates with a similar degree but lacking a criminal record. I knew I needed more and so weeks after leaving university I applied to study for a Masters in Criminology and I was accepted. I also started to look at other volunteering opportunities and came across a vacancy with my local probation service as a mentor. With my background, I didn’t think I stood much of a chance but I also took the view that I had nothing to lose and lo and behold I was invited to an interview and offered a voluntary mentoring role.

On completion of my Masters, I saw a Probation Officers job advertised at the Probation Trust where I volunteered. I’d formed a great working relationship with all the staff in the office and several of them encouraged me to apply for the job. I don’t know whether I’ve just been lucky but I’ve always been very upfront about my past and on the whole, this has served me well. I’ve tried to use my past in a positive way and in light of the type of work I’m doing I guess its been a bit easier.

Prison and education were my saviours and I’m not sure that I would have done one without the other. If I hadn’t been arrested and sent to prison when I was, I would have continued offending – I may well have ended up dead but more likely I’d have got a really long prison sentence. Prison gave me the time and motivation to learn and the rest, as they say, is history.

By Richard (name changed to protect identity)

 

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John O’Groats to Land’s End – not as far as the journey from armed robber to vicar!

john-ogroatsIf there’s one thing I’ve learnt from watching Robin Hood on television, it’s that even the most hardened lawbreakers can defy all expectations and turn their lives around. Some will go on to earn millions in the business world, others will help other individuals in need. I’ve just seen a story which really bears this out.

The Reverend Matthew Martinson, vicar at St John’s Church, has been using a wheelchair for the past 7 years after waking one morning unable to feel his legs. Now, more than 20 years after being jailed for 11 years for armed robbery, he’s about to embark on the mammoth journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Reverend Martinson, turned his life around after being released from prison in 1999. He’s now raising funds for his church which he hopes will contribute massively to a new facility for the whole community. He says:

I woke up one morning and couldn’t feel my legs. I went to bed one night and that was it. I was very fit and active and then suddenly couldn’t do things that I wanted to do. It’s very hard and challenging and that will be something I’ll have to deal with on the journey as well. It’s going to be mostly down to my hands and arms.’

Matt Martinson knows all about a challenge. He was a homeless drug addict who ended up in prison for his part in an armed robbery before being ordained as a priest in 2010.

As a child, Matt lived with a father addicted to alcohol and drugs who would ‘knock’ Matt about whenever he felt the need. It’s perhaps inevitable that this would have some effect on a child and, after a spell in the army, Matt ended up using drugs and drink regularly. His life became violent and he eventually progressed into the criminal world.

He was eventually arrested for his part in an armed robbery and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Serving his sentence at HMP Wolds, put him in contact with a fantastic chaplaincy team and one guy in particular, who helped Matt to nurture his faith and helped him grow as a Christian.

After 4 years, Matt successfully gained parole and left prison. He found the adjustment really hard, his whole life had changed. He got himself a job working for a marquee hire firm but knew he wanted more from God.

Matt had loads to learn. He started a degree in theology, made harder by the fact that he was dyslexic and struggled to read and write. But Matt ploughed on and upon graduation, helped set up a charity, working with ex-offenders, drug addicts and alcoholics.

However, seeing some of the amazing things that God had done in other people’s lives, Matt visited his local church, sat down with the vicar and told him that he too was thinking of becoming a vicar. Matt was delighted when the priest told him that he would fully support him and six months later, he was accepted to be a priest. He went to training college and progressed from there.

As I think you’ll agree, once Matt sets his mind to something nothing will stop him and I’m sure he’ll easily make it to Land’s End in the three week’s he’s set himself to complete the challenge.

You can read more about Matt’s challenge in the Hull Daily Mail.

By Debbie Sadler 

 

Useful links

  • Comment – Let us know your thoughts on this post by commenting below
  • Information – We have practical self-help information on universities, colleges and education 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.

Harnessing my anger to help myself and others – Becoming a teacher with a criminal record

teacherHaving grown up with an alcoholic and abusive father, I struggled to behave like a normal teenager. On reflection, I now appreciate how angry I was that nobody was trying to help me out of the dreadful situation I was in and my unwillingness to be ‘normal’ was undoubtedly my way of rebelling.

I dropped out of school because nobody there understood me and this just added to my sense of anger with the world and life in general.

At the age of 17 I’d found myself a boyfriend and things were starting to look up. But, during the course of a heated argument, this lad pushed me. The red mist descended and in that moment of rage, I knew that I wasn’t going to let any other man hurt or take advantage of me. I picked up a knife and stabbed him. He survived and I received a three year probation order.

At about the same time, my father went to court and received a conviction for the abuse he’d subjected me to. He was sent to prison. This stirred up a lot of emotion in me not least more anger – I couldn’t understand why he’d been let off so lightly, when he’d left me with a life sentence.

Following his conviction I received a large amount of compensation and I turned to drugs to help me deal with the situation. I wasn’t ready to accept any help from probation or the counsellors that they put me in touch with. It followed that I would be caught and I was eventually charged with possession and the supply of controlled substances (cannabis and sleeping pills). This time I received a two year probation order that ran concurrent with my earlier conviction.

I’m now approaching my 42nd birthday. It took me some time to stop being angry at life but, over the years I returned to school, gained 5 GCSE’s and started to study with the Open University. I also found full time work and eventually a job that paid for me to complete my degree on a day release basis. I’d always loved science and this is the field that I concentrated my study on. I completed my degree, worked my way up the organisation and was doing pretty well for myself.

Although I enjoyed what I was doing, the idea of teaching and making a difference to the lives of young people kept crossing my mind. I really wanted to share my love of science and hopefully inspire other young people to love it too. I started to seriously look into the possibility of becoming a teacher and approached a local university to ask them what my chances were of being accepted on to a PGCE course. They were totally honest and told me that;

although they would accept me, I should expect a mixed response from schools when looking to find a work placement.

I was really nervous about leaving a perfectly good career but I knew I had to give working with kids a try. I decided not to go down the PGCE route, but took a job in a school as a laboratory technician. Whilst working there, I spoke to my colleagues and the head teacher about my dreams of teaching and after a year, I applied for a government teaching placement (now called School Direct), fully supported by the school I was working in.

Since then I’ve worked in several schools. Some heads have been amazing, they’ve listened to my story and understood that my past allows me to empathise with more difficult pupils. Other’s have shut the door in my face as soon as I’ve explained the circumstances. The head teacher at my training school gave me some excellent advice about filling in application forms. He suggested that it was better to state on the form ‘2 x convictions which I would like to discuss further at interview’. He told me that this would enable me to get through the door and prove myself before I was judged.

I’ve also found some recruitment agencies really useful. I applied for my current job through one. They asked me to write a statement detailing the offences and explaining my circumstances at the time. They spoke to the school first, which saved me the stress and embarrassment of talking about it at interview

I now work in a very challenging school with lots of pupils who remind me of my former ‘angry self’. I can honestly say that I absolutely love my job and really glad that I made the move.

I really wanted to tell my story because I thought it was important to encourage others. Having a criminal record doesn’t have to be the end of your dreams. You just need to have some patience and perseverance.

By Juliet (name changed to protect identity)

 

Useful links 

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

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