The consultation is of relevance to CJS as an employer and also as a public body with a corporate plan commitment to ensure the effective reintegration into the community of people who have been convicted. Access to employment, housing, learning and volunteering are all routes to providing people with the opportunity to reintegrate successfully, to aid their rehabilitation and ultimately to reduce the likelihood of further offending. The proposals to amend the various disclosure regimes which currently govern the access to certain roles are therefore of direct relevance to CJS.
We acknowledge the point made in the foreword to the consultation that disclosure must strike a balance between safeguarding our communities on the one hand and enabling people to get into work. We agree that the current system is complex and that a more proportionate system must be developed, taking account of risks where they exist but also to allow for rehabilitation and reintegration. It is clear from research that after a period of 7-10 years with no further convictions, a person with a historic conviction presents no greater risk than those without a conviction.
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