Charity urges companies to hire former offenders
A Maidstone charity has launched a website aimed at encouraging companies to recruit people with criminal records.
The online tool has been set up by Unlock to tackle the stigma and discrimination faced by exoffenders applying for work by providing guidance and support for employers looking to hire those with convictions.
The charity, dedicated to helping former convicts turn their lives around, is based in Marsham Street.
The site includes information about good practice other employers have adopted, such as ‘banning the box’ which asks job applicants to disclose their criminal record during the first stages of recruitment. It will also provide guidance regarding the law on criminal record disclosure and rehabilitation.
At the launch, on Thursday, one former offender who has been helped by the charity called on employers to be open-minded in the way they recruit.
The woman, who did not want to be named, was given a three- year prison sentence for fraud and stealing from her employer in 2010.
She said: “When I came out of prison I was full of hope about the future. I came out with the same skills and experience I went in with but realised that employers weren’t interested in that, all they were interested in was my conviction.
“It was really difficult at times and the constant rejection was quite hard to deal with.
“I did something wrong and I deserved to be punished, and I was. But I wanted to be a worthwhile member of society again. I wanted to get on with my life and make my friends and family proud. I wanted to pay my taxes and not be a burden on society.
“Eventually, I was fortunate in finding an employer that had removed the tick-box and had the perfect job for me. I was able to sell myself before they asked me about my record at the offer stage.
“Once they heard what I’d done since my prison sentence, they didn’t let my convictions get in the way.”