Unlock

Unlock is an independent award-winning national charity, independent of Government, that provides a voice and support for people with convictions who are facing stigma and obstacles because of their criminal record, often long after they have served their sentence. Further support includes peer support, advocacy, free confidential helpline with advice for individuals on criminal records, including the law on disclosing criminal records, the Disclosure and Barring Service, applying for jobs, financial matters, travelling abroad with convictions and other areas of life where criminal records can cause problems. Cannot provide legal advice. Website has links to resources and publications. There is also an information hub (hub.unlock.org.uk) covering a wide range of issues that affect convictions and an online forum (forum.unlock.org.uk). A tool to work out when convictions become spent can be found at www.disclosurecalculator.org.uk. Charity can provide speakers for events and they run training courses for practitioners on criminal records (http://www.unlock.org.uk/training).