Statistics

• Over a quarter of the working age population has a previous conviction.


• A criminal record can seriously diminish employment opportunities.


• A third of men by the age of 30 have a criminal record.


• Employment can reduce re-offending by between a third and a half.
  Review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, Breaking The Circle July 2002. (Home Office)


• In 2001-02 a review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act looked at ways to ensure that the burden of the requirement to disclose a previous conviction is minimised for the many ex-offenders who simply want the chance of lawful employment, while maintaining a requirement to disclose where there may be a particular risk of harm.
  Review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, Breaking The Circle July 2002 (Home Office)


• Re-offending figures amongst youth offenders were significantly reduced from 90% down to fewer than 10% where ex-offenders entered into employment.
  Feltham Youth Offender Report 2006


• 59% of women held on remand do not go on to receive custodial sentences.


• Evidence suggests that having a parent in custody can have a damaging effect on children, including poor educational achievements, an above average rate of mental health problems and increased youth offending.
  Home Office Women's Offending Reduction Programme Action Plan, March 2004


• 48% of remand prisoners lose contact with their families after entering prison.
  Rehabilitation of Offenders, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee First Report, January 2005


• Around 66% of prisoners who have a job lose it whilst on remand.
  Social Exclusion Report, July 2002


• Job seekers with a criminal record face similar obstacles to employment to those faced by homeless people, with 27% of employers perceiving them as untrustworthy and 20% as too risky.


• 20% of prisoners report having nowhere to stay on release, when stable accommodation can reduce re-offending by 20%.
  Social Exclusion Report, July 2002


• Less than 1% of applicants in a recruitment exercise studied for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (fewer than 1%, 60 out of 22,500) disclosed criminal record information. A human resource manager in a food processing company reported that, in 28 years, no-one seeking managerial positions in the company had done so.
  "Recruiting and Employing Offenders" by Del Roy Fletcher, Alan Taylor, Stephen Hughes and Jonathon Breeze


• In 1992, around 90% of offenders faced unemployment.
  Chartered Institute of Personal Development


• Of 144 HR Managers who have knowingly employed an ex-offender, only 8 reported cases of re-offending.
  Chartered Institute of Personal Development


• Two thirds of HR managers state that employing ex-offenders has been a positive experience.
  Chartered Institute of Personal Development

Employers Supporting Second Chance

• "I would be happy to take an offender into my employment if they met the criteria for the job."
  Safeway


• "It would be criminal of me not to employ an ex-offender who is genuinely seeking a second chance. I have worked with The Citizens Trust on a number of occasions and am only too pleased to accept a job seeker provided by them."
  Mr Ben - leading West London hair salon


• "I am delighted to endorse the work of The Citizens Trust. Their work with disadvantaged groups continues to gain momentum and respect within the commercial world of West London."
  Sandeep Patel - Regional Marketing Manager, Just Shuz plc