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Firms are being urged to stop asking for criminal record details on job application forms because they give employers a “false sense of security”.

Research also found Jobseekers are put off applying for work if they have to declare any convictions upfront.

The study, which was compiled by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice for Virgin Trains and Business in the Community (BITC), also found some candidates with no record may pose a greater risk of offending.

In the UK 11 million people have a criminal record according to BITC, and they also say 75% of employers admit to discriminating against applicants with a criminal conviction.

The group runs a Ban the Box campaign with the aim of removing the tick box on application forms for those with a criminal record.

This ‘simple’ step they say will open a pool of talent and brings down the £15 billion a year cost of reoffending for businesses, taxpayers and communities.

Three years ago Welsh homelessness charity The Wallich launched their BOSS project.

BOSS, which stands for Building Opportunities Skills and Success, looks to provide innovative employability and entrepreneurship training to ex-offenders and prisoners serving sentences in South Wales.

(Image: Mark Lewis)

“A criminal record can be a real barrier for someone willing and capable of getting back into work because of its stigma,” said Ellie Pearson, BOSS Project Manager at The Wallich..

“Doing a DBS check is valuable to an organisation to assess the appropriateness of hiring someone, however, many employers don’t have enough information on the scope of categories that are flagged by the service to make a proportionate judgement. For example, offences related to lighting a fire while you’re homeless could be listed as arson, shoplifting as a teenager could be theft and getting into an altercation on a night out could be assault. Those blanket labels are often disproportionate to the seriousness of their crime. 68% of all sentences are also fines, and not time in prison, this adds to your record.

“Unemployment fuels poverty, increases chances of reoffending and even the risk of homelessness. We must do everything we can, as a community, to help break that cycle and get people back into work.

“Certain industries, such as construction and health, are facing large recruitment shortages and it’s common sense to start looking at untapped talent pools to fulfil these growing demands. With the right support, increased knowledge and an unbiased, non-judgmental approach, employers can really benefit from thinking beyond someone’s criminal record.”

(Image: Richard Williams)

Jessica Rose, of BITC, said there is strong evidence suggesting that people can permanently move away from crime and that employment plays an important part in this.

“We understand that employers need to manage risk in recruitment, but asking everyone who applies for a role about criminal convictions at the start of the process tells people who are trying to move on with their lives that they won’t be given a fair chance,” said Ms Rose.

“We urge all employers to remove the tick box and carefully consider whether, when and how they need to ask about criminal convictions and what they will do with that information once they have it.”

(Image: WalesOnline)

A South Wales gastro pub group employs staff with criminal convictions.

Sharon Noakes, managing director of Knife & Fork Food, which has locations across Cardiff and the Vale, including The Conway and Twenty Nine Park Place, said: “We have been successfully employing a number of staff members with criminal convictions for many years now, who work in our kitchens as chefs and kitchen hands, as well as front of house staff.

“We do this in partnership with The Clink restaurant at HMP Cardiff, who look to rehabilitate ex-prisoners in local communities, providing them with valuable work placements.

“It is an initiative that we have always found to be enormously positive, in fact many of these employees have gone on to have really successful careers with us, and are regarded as some of our most valuable team members.”

(Image: Richard Swingler) (Image: Richard Swingler)

Virgin Trains say they will have a conversation at the interview stage to talk about the applicants offences and where they are on the rehabilitation journey.

“That may still result in a no from us, but it gives that person the opportunity to discuss their past and what they’ve got to offer in a supportive environment rather than just being dismissed out of hand,” said Virgin Trains’ Kathryn Wildman.

“Our experience is that we’ve identified some fantastic people with convictions who have gone on to perform really well for us and helped our business grow.”