Prison report Former offenders can finally escape from their past
Very few organisations prefer employees to have a criminal record – but charity Unlock can insist on it.
For 15 years Unlock has helped people convicted of a crime deal with everyday issues, such as getting a job and finding companies that will insure their homes and cars.
Set up by a group of former prisoners, half of its trustees have criminal records as do all the staff who come into contact with clients, either face-to-face or on the phone, and all the volunteers given placements there to ease them back into work.
Co-director Christopher Stacey is no exception.
When the 29-year-old was a law student at the University of Hull he stole a significant amount of money from his part-time employer.
Mr Stacey said: “I narrowly avoided prison and was given a 12-month suspended sentence. I obviously lost my job and I nearly didn’t finish my degree. My mum and dad’s house insurance was immediately void from the moment I was convicted but no one told them that.
“It’s important our staff can speak from personal experience and the people phoning up feel confident they’re not being judged. You end up having to go through a mini retrial when talking to somebody about your criminal conviction because they start from scratch and ask obvious questions. It’s really difficult for most people, you feel like you’ve been through an emotional washing machine.”
Unlock, based at Maidstone Community Support Centre in Marsham Street, also advises employers on giving jobs to former criminals and trains probation officers and other professionals who hel p ex-offenders rebuild their lives.
They don’t take government funding, which allows them to stay independent and be critical of laws and policies when needed.
About 5,000 people a year call Unlock’s helpline and a further 50,000 log onto its website, where they can type in conviction details and discover what information they must disclose to potential employers.
Other Unlock websites provide forums to share experiences, and blogs written by former clients who have turned their lives around.
One example is Adrian, not his real name, who went to prison in 2006 for possessing drugs with intent to supply and used his time inside “to reflect on my past and consider my future”.
Following his release, Adrian finished his computer science degree and after a few job rejections is now on his way to becoming a fully qualified chartered management accountant. See www.unlock.org.uk for information and the disclosure calculator and www.the-record.org.uk for success stories. Call the helpline on 01634 247350 or the office on 01622 230705.