5 years on from conviction…
This article was originally written for November 2011’s issue of The Record, a monthly magazine for reformed offenders published by UNLOCK. Find out more here.
For those of you don’t know, I am the Head of Projects & Services at UNLOCK. I’ve worked for UNLOCK for nearly 3 and a half years. I also have a criminal record.
I’ve never really put pen to paper and written about what led up to me being convicted. It’s been an intentional decision on my part, mainly because the background to why I’ve got a criminal record is largely irrelevant as far as UNLOCK’s work is concerned — all that really matters is that, like 8 million other people in the UK, I have a criminal record and I’m facing barriers despite trying to lead a law-abiding life. The reason I’m writing this piece is that it recently dawned on me that, as of this month, it’s been 5 years since I was convicted.
It is sometimes easy for me to forget what things were like back then and how much things have changed since. This time 5 years ago, in October 2007, I had just pleaded guilty to theft at the Magistrates Court and was waiting to be sentenced at Crown Court. I was prepared to go to prison. My barrister had already suggested that it was pretty much unavoidable given the seriousness of the offence. I was, understandably, struggling to concentrate on what was the beginning of my final year at university.
Fortunately, the judge felt able to spare me an immediate prison sentence. This was no doubt largely because of the number of character references I had obtained from people who knew me who could vouch for how out of character my offences were. Instead, he decided to impose a strict community sentence. I’ll never forget the moment that my barrister (who, strangely, is now an MP) turned around to me while the judge was making his comments (just before announcing the sentence) and winked. He had realised what was coming.
What with the unpaid work, the tag, the suspended prison sentence and the compensation order, I honestly think it was the right sentence. It wasn’t easy — in fact, I found it quite difficult, and rightly so. However, it allowed me to focus on the things that really mattered — family, friends (at those that were left anyway) and education. I went on to do well in my final year at University and I moved on to do a Masters at Leeds University.
Skipping forward a year, I was preparing for my final exams at Leeds when, quite coincidentally, I stumbled across UNLOCK’s website whilst looking for advice on insurance. The fact that the organisation even existed was a great thing for me at the time. However, even better was the fact that, only a couple of months later, a job opportunity came available. Unbeknown to me at the time, job opportunities rarely come up at UNLOCK — it was the first one in 3 years, and one hasn’t come up since. Fortunately, I was (apparently) regarded as the best person for the job.
Taking the job meant a huge change to my life. I had to move 240 miles away from my friends, family and (most importantly) girlfriend. But, given how fortunate I was to even have a job (especially considering my recent unspent criminal record), and given it was doing something that I was so personally passionate about, there wasn’t even really a decision needed on my part.
This next section may sound like some kind of goodbye speech, but rest assured it isn’t. I just want to take this opportunity to try and briefly reflect on my time at UNLOCK so far.
In the 3 and a half years that I’ve worked for UNLOCK, I have been so privileged to have been able to work with such a committed group of people. I’ve also got to know so many people, both personally and professionally, that I would have otherwise never got to know. Many of you may not know this, but UNLOCK only consists of 3 full time staff and 2 part-time staff.Yes, we have a huge membership, a long list of patrons, a board of trustees and some incredibly committed volunteers, but in terms of those who are actually employed by the charity, we’re very small.
As a result, I think it’s important not to see UNLOCK as an organisation that does things for reformed offenders. Yes, we (quite rightly) stick up for our group when we’re being universally vilified by the press or written off by society. And yes, we push for changes at a policy level in the hope of removing some of the systemic issues that reformed offenders face.
The role of UNLOCK is incredibly powerful when looked at in these ways. However, that doesn’t mean that members of the reformed offender community should sit back and relax. As a group, we need to recognise that the way in which criminal records are used in various areas of society is not going to change overnight, nor is UNLOCK going to succeed in achieving change on its own.
It’s here that I want to thank you all for by being members of UNLOCK. Being a member means something different to every single person. Some of you joined by accident, thinking that you needed to in order to get information or advice. Some of you have joined simply to receive The Record or contribute to the Members’ Forum. However, those of you that I am most grateful to are those that see being a member of UNLOCK as a two way process. Yes, you get some practical things in return for being a member — The Record and the Members’ Forum are the two obvious ones. However, the main reason for membership is to build a strong community of reformed offenders who believe in the vision and aims of this organisation, and more importantly enable those people who want to help us to actually do so.
Perhaps we’ve not done enough in the past to enable people to support what we do. Rarely do people have money available to donate to us, hence why membership is free. But building the role and importance of the membership is something that I am very strongly passionate about. If I think about what I would be doing if I wasn’t working for UNLOCK, I know I would be chomping at the bit to do whatever I could do to help the charity. We need more people who are willing to do this. We need to change the way in which reformed offenders are treated in society — it isn’t about helping UNLOCK, it’s about changing the way in which reformed offenders are treated. That’s why I’m here, and I hope it’s why you’re here too.
Finally, I’d like to put it on record how grateful I am to UNLOCK for giving me the opportunities that they have over the last 3 and a half years. I could never have imagined 5 years ago that I would be in the position that I am in now. I have always been honest in saying that I would love to be able practice my legal qualifications, but I don’t think the legal profession could come anywhere near to giving me this kind of experience.
One day, I’m in the office answering calls, writing letters and responding to emails from reformed offenders who are struggling because of their criminal record. The next day, I could be in a meeting with senior civil servants of NOMS discussing projects we are involved in. I sometimes find myself in positions that I could never have dreamed of being in, like giving a presentation in the House of Lords (a rather unique experience that I had this month!).
I wish I wasn’t here. I wish I didn’t have a criminal record. I wish I didn’t have to be reminded about it almost every day. It was a choice I took when I joined UNLOCK, and one that I fear a lot of reformed offenders make because they think it’s the only way forward. However, I am where I am — enjoying every single minute of it.
