UK Government Proposes Ending Lifelong Disclosure of Some Youth Convictions
The UK government has proposed ending the lifelong requirement for people in England and Wales to disclose crimes they committed when they were under 18. According to The Guardian, justice minister Jake Richards is proposing to reduce the number of offences that must be disclosed for life on standard and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, the background checks that many employers use when hiring. The plans are being consulted on.
Under the proposals, people convicted under 18 of violent disorder, supplying drugs to a child, robbery, affray and actual bodily harm would no longer have to disclose those offences automatically for life. How long they would have to disclose instead would depend on their sentence. Those who received a non-custodial sentence, meaning one that does not involve time in custody, would have to disclose the offence for five and a half years. Those given a custodial sentence of two years or less would disclose it for 11 years.
People given a custodial sentence longer than two years would keep a lifetime obligation to disclose the offence to prospective employers.
The plans also cover fines. A conviction resulting in a fine would no longer have to be disclosed, whereas under current law it must be disclosed for six months.
Further proposals would end automatic disclosure of any out-of-court resolution, meaning a matter settled without a court case. They would also end the rule that extends the time before a conviction becomes "spent", the legal term for a conviction that no longer needs to be disclosed, if a person is convicted of a second crime during the rehabilitation period.
The proposals form part of a wider set of youth justice changes that aim to sharply reduce the number of children in custody. Ministers say the measures will boost youth employment and make life fairer for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
