How will multiple convictions be treated?

For the purposes of deciding whether an offence is excluded from becoming spent, consecutive and concurrent sentences will be treated separately.

Example

Lucy was convicted of robbery and criminal damage in May 2009. She received a four-year prison sentence for the robbery and a six-month sentence for the criminal damage to run consecutively. This gives a total sentence of 4 years and 6 months.

Under the previous legislation Lucy’s conviction would never be spent and would always need to be disclosed when applying for jobs. It would always appear on her basic DBS certificate.

After PCSC, Lucy’s sentences will be treated separately and will both become spent on 28 October 2023 as on their own, neither prison sentence was over four years.


This is amazing news. Personally for myself, it's life-changing, as it means the 9 year prison sentence I served (3 sentences of 3 years to run consecutively) now will become spent in 2031, whereas was never before eligible to become spent.

This will affect thousands of people who've served significant prison sentences and we need to highlight this information more.
Please share and let anyone who may be affected by this change know.
Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel!