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Max is still being punished for a prank aged 13

When Max was 13, he set fire to a toilet roll in the school toilets as a prank. There was some minor damage to one of the cubicles, but no one got hurt. The police charged him with a crime rather than letting him off with a warning. The judge decided to make an example of him in an attempt to deter similar pranks in the future, and he was given a community sentence for arson.

After serving his community sentence, which is a type of criminal conviction, he turned his life around and focused on school. Now, he is thinking about what career he’d like to pursue in the future. He had been considering working with adults with learning disabilities, like his older brother, but his conviction will show up on the detailed criminal record checks required for this kind of work. Many employers won’t give him the chance to explain what really happened.

In many countries, Max’s conviction would stop being revealed to employers once he turned 18, but that’s not the case in the UK. Now his first criteria when deciding his future career path is whether an employer will ask about his teenage mishap, and he plans to avoid any profession where this is likely out of embarrassment.

Max is not alone

More than 12 million people in the UK have a criminal record. Most are for lower-level offences which happened many years ago. Childhood criminal records often follow people into adulthood, hampering their efforts to find work or pursue further study.

No one should be punished forever

Because Max was convicted for arson, which is considered a serious offence, his conviction will show on the detailed checks required for lots of jobs like carer, accountant or teacher for the rest of his life.

Let’s build a better system

People who’ve taken responsibility for their actions need a fair chance to find work and fulfil their potential. But records of old offences keep thousands of people trapped in the past. Everyone deserves the opportunity to start their adult life without past mistakes continuing to haunt them.

FairChecks is calling for low level offences to be removed automatically from a child’s record at 18, with an opportunity for more serious offences to be reviewed by a judge and wiped from the record if there is little risk of further harm. If nothing changes, people who’ve worked hard to turn their lives around will continue to be punished for decades. This isn’t justice.

Add your name so that people like Max can have a fair chance to find work and fulfil their potential. 

And why not keep the momentum going? Join the movement for a fairer criminal records system - sign up today at fairchecks.org.uk.