The Ministry of Justice is proposing reforms to help get ex-offenders back into employment by amending ‘rehabilitation periods’ for shorter custodial and non-custodial sentences offences later this year.
The proposal is that some sentences of over four years will no longer have to be disclosed to employers after a specified period of time has passed. This change will not apply where offences attract the most serious sentences, including life, or for serious sexual, violent and terrorism offences.
In addition to the rule change for longer sentences over four years, the period of time for which shorter sentences and community sentences must be revealed to employers will be scaled back. The exact length of these ‘rehabilitation periods’ will be determined following discussions with stakeholders.