Hi all

My conviction was in 2013 and according to all the new regulations, it is apparently spent (2 years) so although I do not have to tick the "Do you have any unspent criminal convictions?" box on job applications, I still have to declare if I have any unprotected convictions, which I do, as it was custodial (4 weeks but not served) so will not be eligible for filtering

I have a degree, but ironically, I have been unsuccessful trying to get interviews for supermarkets (although that was just after the conviction) but I have been interviewed for jobs at universities and the NHS (this year)! For those type of jobs obviously the ROA does not apply, due to the nature of the work. I've not been successful as yet and for those organisations who do provide feedback, I am of the opinion that it is rubbish (cynical, I know) and the reason is because of the conviction. Although in saying that, I was offered a job at a London hospital in January but after the training, I decided it wasn't for me. I believe there are companies who will employ ex-offenders but due to the job market, they usually have so many applicants, they can disregard all those with convictions immediately as there are so many other people to choose from!

As someone mentioned already, what are ex-offenders supposed to do then, remain on JSA until their conviction is spent and even after that period, we still have difficulties, which reminds me of this quote:

DON'T JUDGE MY STORY BASED ON ONE CHAPTER YOU HAPPENED TO WALK INTO

I signed up Doug - how many is you get?

Let's be honest if you're struggling to get 5, might be a bit of a reach to get 100k.

Prejudice will always happen when it comes to people with Convictions. This forum is a prime example when it decided to segregate and abandon a large selection of people trying to rehabilitate due to them having committed certain offences. That says a lot when this is thw supposed voice of the reformed offender.

Lastly I fear you have discovered what is the problem of our society, apathy. People, including people with convictions, are just too apathetic. Unless it's the current fashionable good cause people don't care. Maybe you should ask people to get wet or do some stupid act whilst signing, might be more popular then.

Hi Doug,

I agree that putting your head above the parapet does mean you're in the firing line however, and don't take this as a criticism, in some of the other threads (and possibly the two that are "stickys" there is reference to employers that take the blanket "We won't employ ex-offenders" stance. IF you're fortunate enough to get to interview stage then it is worth finding out (discretely if necessary) what their policy is regarding people with a conviction. If they haven't got a policy (negative or positive) and you are asked if you have a conviction and/or is there anything significant that you need to tell us? then use your confidence to explain your situation. I state that I have a conviction and then ask them if they need to know any details or would they like to wait until after they had made a decision. That way, you don't have to disclose unless you are successful but you have been open and honest with them and they should appreciate that although it may not get you the job! I don't agree with lying as that can get you into all sorts of trouble should your employer ever find out that you've lied to them. And none of us want an extra conviction for breaching the ROA!

TL;DR
Chin up, be confident, don't lie, don't apply for jobs with Royal Mail or John Lewis* etc.


*Unless you wanted to gain interview experience or research into attitudes towards ex-offenders etc.

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I haven't stolen any Pineapples, but they are a great prog rock band!

I havent stolen any Pineapples, but they are a great prog rock band!

Interesting thread and I can relate to a lot of what has been said, however the view that you need to keep your head down in my personal experience isn't entirely necessary (although I don't have my offence tattooed across my face if you take my meaning).
I feel that the fundamental of any offence is that a trust was breached and if you are asking someone to trust you again you need to be open and honest. I have always found that it has worked for me ( I told one guy who was so impressed with my honesty he accepted me for who I am now not who I was). I learnt not to have a predetermined expectation of how you will be treated. I,e, I have to visit the police station once a year to update my details. The person I saw asked me for a brochure from my business as an interested customer before I left.

Hi Doug, I can fully understand how you are feeling at the moment. I was employed by the same company for nearly 30 years before my offence. After I finished my sentence I really tried to find employment handing out countless CV`s, knocking on doors and just plain old fashioned walking into lots of different companies and asking face to face for work. Now at this point non of them knew about my conviction. I was saving that for my interview unless specifically asked before hand.

Sadly I didn't get a single invite so I can only conclude that my age (57 at the time) was working against me. OK so my only option was to "reinvent myself" and become self employed and to be honest I am loving it. I am never going to become a millionaire but it keeps me out of the Job centre who were to be honest totally useless other than to lower my self esteem.

The only ones I found who were remotely interested in employing someone like me were Timpsons the shoe repair people but they didn't have any current vacancies ( a fact I am now grateful for).
I am stuck with my crime for life it isn't going to ever be spent but on the whole it doesn't really matter to me now too much, I have found I can exist with it and have a good life. Sad fact is NO ONE will do it for you we are who we are you just need to arrange your life around that and it will be ok for you. Keep the faith and 2019 isn't far away.

Hi Doug, how are you? I totally agree with what you're proposing and you have my full support, just tell me where and when to add my name. Also there's NACRO and their supporters, I'm sure they would add their support. Any good news on the job front? Any good employers you know of that treat people with convictions like people and who genuinely give people with convictions a fair opportunity? I've just had an interview, I didn't get the job but had what seemed to be an honest feedback conversation. They said my conviction was not an issue, they said they were prepared to give me a fair go and explained the reason why I wasn't successful and suggested areas I could improve for next time. This was constructive but sadly in my experience it isn't commonplace. In fact its the only employer I've applied to that offered to give feedback and say why I wasn't successful and then did! I mean if you show an interest in an employer and take the time to apply for a job with them, then get shortlisted, attend an interview, sometimes also do a test, you deserve a phone call and honest feedback for your troubles. Not 'we're too busy to ring back and if you haven't heard after ten days assume you were unsuccessful' jargon, that's really poor and I suggest its an indicator that the company doesn't care about people including its employees. Now though with my feedback, at least I understand their reasons and that helps me understand and improve and move forward instead of feeling bitter and negative and think that everybody hates me. Thankfully there are good employers out there, just wished there were more of them. Employers should all go that extra mile and remember they are dealing with people with families and sometimes dependents, and everyone deserves to be treated in a professional manner and not notified by a very impersonal rejection letter. Keep the faith! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Sincerely M.

Post Edited (Marty14) : 26/05/2015 14:18:24 (GMT+2)

Hi Doug, thank you for your posting, I have every sympathy for your situation and hope you are coping and making progress with your job applications or self employment plans. My circumstances almost exactly mirror yours. My convictions will not be spent until Oct/19. I attend probation meetings which offer no practical advice or support and certainly no job rehabilitation strategies which really surprised me as you think they would be expert in getting ex offenders rehabilitated and back into the community, but not so, they don't seem interested, trained or concerned with that at all. The Job Centre are equally not interested, trained or concerned and quickly passed me over to Bootstrap who have given basic support with job applications. Bootstrap say the reality is that employers see ex offenders as a risk, not a personal risk but a risk to their reputation and therefore it is easier for them to say no at the outset and not shortlist ex-offenders regardless of their skills and experience to do the job, which is both shocking and blatant discrimination which I don't think anyone wants but that is what is happening. NACRO say nothing will change until employers face consequences for discriminating against ex offenders. Who for example checks how many ex offenders people employ, or the reason why ex offenders are rejected from the shortlist? Should I be complaining each time I suspect I have been turned down purely because I have a conviction? I am being constantly rejected purely because I have ticked that box or made a declaration and not because of who I am and the skills and experience I can bring to the job. The ROA seems a good idea, giving people with convictions the opportunity to wipe the slate clean but why is there a requirement to add another 4 years onto the period of my sentence before my convictions can be classed as spent? This is an additional and damaging punishment on top of the sentence handed down by the court, why what is its purpose? It should be abolished so a convictions is spent at the end of the sentence handed down by the court, then the rehabilitation can begin. As it stands ex offenders are punished again by every employer they contact for that additional time. What are we supposed I to do until 2019? Keep claiming JSA or earn our own way and pay taxes? The answer seems obvious. I have almost served my sentence but because it won't be spent till 2019 I too feel rejected and unsupported and something needs to change for the millions of us who are trapped in this intolerable situation. I think what we need to do is start a petition to Parliament asking for an urgent amendment to the ROA and the abolition of the additional time being added to sentences before convictions can be considered as spent. There should be no additional time added to sentences handed down by the courts and this would allow ex offenders to be properly rehabilitated into the community without being discriminated against purely because they have a conviction. I would urge anyone in this situation and their supporters to pledge their name to such a petition, there are at least ten million potential signatures, and together our voices can press for much needed change.

Post Edited (Marty14) : 17/05/2015 12:37:43 (GMT+2)

I know where you are coming from Doug. I struggled on agency work (no guaranteed hours) for a good 18 months or so before been giving a chance to work somewhere permanently. I would go for job interviews and they would be really impressed up until the point they asked about unspent convictions. There was only one position in that 18 months I went for and the guy interviewing didn't ask the question. I know I didn't get that job because I wasn't what they were looking for, nothing to do about convictions.

I have now been working for this company for 18 months. I started as a warehouse operative but have recently moved in to management. When I first applied I expected to be knocked back and I disclosed as I legally have to (they asked) at my first interview with HR. Yet I was invited back to a second interview, this time with my would-be manager. He made the final decision and offered me the job. HR spoke to me before I started saying they were fine employing me and thanking me for being honest. I proved myself to be such a useful asset they moved me into management in January 2015. The thing is, nobody (bar HR) knows about my convictions and that is how it should be. I'm treated like any other employee within the business.

I have encouraged our HR manager to employ more people with convictions into jobs and use myself as an example of what can be achieved with a little trust.

Bachman. Well Done.
This is one of the many issues I have with employers. Most seem to be risk averse, (meaning if there is any rick, even a low risk, don't employ), whilst only a small minority, like your employers do an assessment and then make a sensible decision.

Most people with convictions, who have rehabilitated make good employees, because we understand that employers have taken a chance and we will repay that by working hard and being loyal to the company.
Also most people with convictions who rehabilitate, were good employees before they committed their offences. Making a mistake, does not mean you become a bad employee. It just means you have made a mistake and you want to put that behind you and move on with your life, so you will work extra hard to prove you are a good employee, so you became a even better employee for employers to hire.
But most employers only see the conviction and not the person. Only a small minority of employers look beyond the conviction and look at the person.

I am not my conviction. I am a good man.