Smart justice in action: employability

In 2019, Community Justice Scotland (CJS) commissioned independent research to understand the extent and nature of the employment of people with convictions in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland. This research indicates that more than half of SMEs in Scotland have already employed someone with a conviction. And, the majority said it had been a positive experience for them or the employee. Employers have said that being open to people with convictions gives them access to a wider talent pool. So, what’s stopping you from employing someone with a conviction?

We have developed a campaign is aimed at the 170,000+ SMEs across Scotland. Our goal is to communicate the benefits of employing people with convictions (both to the individual and organisation) and start to challenge some of the perceived barriers.

To start this conversation, we have created a new animation which sits online in our smart justice series. This 60 second film aims to challenge some of the SMEs who are still judging people on their past. By challenging these perceptions, we are creating a fairer and safer Scotland where people who are ready to move into employment can do so.

The campaign will launch on 20 February 2020, World Day of Social Justice. Find out more and download the toolkit here.