Under new proposals announced by the Ministry of Justice, the time it takes for certain convictions to become ‘spent’ will be reduced so that they are no longer automatically disclosed on employment checks, but only after a period of rehabilitation has been successfully completed, allowing offenders who have turned their backs on crime a fair chance of employment again. Custodial sentences of up to a year will become spent after a further 12 months without reoffending, while convictions between 1 and 4 years will no longer be disclosed after four crime-free years. Previously, such offences would continue to be shared with employers for up to four and seven years respectively. To ensure this does not result in an increased risk to the public, these changes will not apply to those that have committed serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences and those working in sensitive roles such as teaching or nursing. The proposed new rehabilitation periods are set out in a table at the end of the press release.
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