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Rehabilitation of offenders to be boosted by removing barriers to employment.

Published 15 July 2019 From: Ministry of Justice

Ex-offenders striving to turn their lives around through work will be backed by new legislation changing what they must disclose to employers.

For the first time, some sentences of over four years will no longer have to be disclosed to employers after a specified period of time has passed. This change will not apply where offences attract the most serious sentences, including life, or for serious sexual, violent and terrorism offences.

Regular work is a major factor in breaking the cycle of crime but many ex-offenders find it impossible to get a job, with just 17% in employment a year after release from prison, and as half of employers would not consider hiring an ex-offender.

In addition to the rule change for longer sentences over four years, the period of time for which shorter sentences and community sentences have to be revealed to employers will be scaled back. The exact length of these ‘rehabilitation periods’ will be determined following discussions with stakeholders. 

The proposed reforms recognise that the longer someone goes without committing a further crime, the lower the risk they will reoffend.

Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, said:

The responsibility, structure and support provided by regular work is an essential component of effective rehabilitation, something which benefits us all by reducing reoffending and cutting the cost of crime.

That’s why we are introducing reforms to break barriers faced by ex-offenders who genuinely want to turn their lives around through employment.

While these reforms will help remove the stigma of convictions, we will never compromise public safety. That is why separate and more stringent rules will continue to apply for sensitive roles, including those which involve working with children and vulnerable adults.

Currently, where a sentence of more than four years is passed, crimes committed decades earlier, including those committed as a child, must be disclosed to employers for the remainder of the offender’s life. For example, an individual sentenced to a lengthy sentence for theft half a century ago would still have to tell employers to this day. 

This creates a disproportionate barrier to employment which prevents ex-offenders from moving on with their lives.

In his review into the treatment of and outcomes for BAME individuals in the criminal justice system, David Lammy MP found that current rules are “trapping offenders in their past, denying dependents an income, and costing the tax-payer money.”

The Government has acted in light of his recommendations, as well as those of the Justice Select Committee and of Charlie Taylor made following his review of youth justice. The reforms set out will be introduced as new legislation when parliamentary time becomes available. 

They will only apply to non-sensitive roles, with separate and stricter rules for those working with children or vulnerable adults, as well as national security roles or positions of public trust. 

Notes to Editors

• Detailed proposals on how we will amend the ‘rehabilitation periods’ for shorter custodial sentences and non-custodial sentences offences will be set out following engagement with stakeholders later this year.
• The rules for sensitive roles are subject to a recent Supreme Court judgment, to which the Government will respond later in the year. We are looking closely at this as we move forward with reforms to the disclosure regime.
• Only individuals who have stopped offending will have their convictions spent.
• If an individual reoffends during their rehabilitation period, they will have to disclose both their original and subsequent offences to employers for the duration of whichever rehabilitation period is longer.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 14 July to reinforce UK concerns about Iran’s reduced JCPoA compliance and stress the ongoing work needed with partners to keep the deal in place.

It comes after he spoke with both the Chief Minister of Gibraltar and the Iranian Foreign Minister on Saturday to discuss the recent detention of the Grace 1 oil tanker, and agree the importance of finding a resolution to the current situation and avoiding further escalation.

Speaking ahead of the FAC, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

The Middle East is already one of the most unstable regions in the world, but if the different parties were armed with nuclear weapons it would represent an existential threat to mankind. I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.

Today I’ll be building on the leadership shown by the UK, alongside France and Germany, as we do what it takes to maintain the nuclear deal, and to work to encourage Iran back into compliance.

Referring to the detention of Grace 1 in Gibraltar, he added:

As I said to the Iranians this weekend, the detention of the Grace 1 was a Gibraltar-led enforcement of EU Syria sanctions. Action had to be taken, and this was nothing to do with the oil being Iranian.

Moreover, following recent tensions in the Gulf, the Foreign Secretary will stress the importance of international norms of freedom of navigation. Mr Hunt said:

Following the brave work of our Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf we will work with partners to maintain the right of commercial ships to go about their rightful business.

ENDS

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