Criminal Record Requests by Employers

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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In theory, if employers want to know whether job applicants have a criminal record, they should use the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as the Criminal Records Bureau), which does not disclose any spent convictions. Employers have been known to circumvent this protection by insisting that applicants make a Data Protection Subject Access Record to get hold of their full criminal record (including spent convictions).

From last month, such a practice became unlawful. The newly in force section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998 makes it a criminal offence to require job applicants (or existing employees) to produce a copy of their criminal record through a subject access request.

This follows changes last year significantly shortening rehabilitation periods under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

[DB1100]

About time too,everybody makes mistakes when they are young and regret them when they are older,sometimes the police are too eager to get a conviction that they offer people the chance of admitting to a lesser crime than what they have been accused of,and people reluctant to pay for a brief admit to it just to get things over and done with.

[hubbahubba]

Doubt this applies to RM Afaik we still do enhanced DBS check which still shows spent convictions?