Employers’ access to criminal records ‘will make it harder to prevent re-offending’

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned that new legislation planned to give employers access to the criminal records of job applicants will add to discrimination against offenders in the labour ­market - increasing the risk they will revert to criminal activity.

The study found that although a third of men have a criminal conviction by the age of 30 (excluding motoring offences), in over 22,000 job applications less than one per cent admitted to having a criminal record.

At present, employers are not allowed to check whether job applicants have a criminal record, with the exception of those involved in work with children or with national security implications. When fully implemented in Autumn 2002 the Police Act (1997) will give all employers access to the criminal records of all job applicants. The legislation also extends the access of employers working with children and vulnerable adults to full police records on job applicants, including spent convictions, cautions and warnings.

Del Roy Fletcher, a research fellow and co-author of the study, said: “Requests for basic disclosure certificates seem set to become a standard recruitment practice once the legislation comes into force.”

He added: “Ex-offenders already face considerable difficulties finding work, even though a steady job can play an important part in making it less likely they will commit further crime. Our research suggests that the introduction of basic disclosures will heighten the level of discrimination against offenders, with serious potential consequences for levels of re-offending.”
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