The UK Civil Service has recruited 166 individuals with criminal convictions as part of a dedicated initiative designed to offer prison leavers a fresh start and reduce reoffending rates.
How the Second Chance Recruitment Scheme Works
Since its launch in 2021, the Going Forward into Employment Life Chance Recruitment Scheme has advertised 293 positions specifically open to applicants with criminal records. According to data obtained by the prisoners' newspaper, Inside Time, via a Freedom of Information request, 374 convicts applied for these roles between 2021 and 2024, meaning just under half of the applicants were successful.
The programme offers fixed-term contracts of up to two years across various government departments, with the potential for permanent employment afterwards. It is open to individuals freed from prison within the last five years or those who served a community sentence during that period. Applicants must submit a CV and a 250-word personal statement.
Roles secured through the scheme are varied and include:
- Resolving departmental IT issues.
- Conducting administrative and clerical duties.
- Responding to customer queries.
- Handling benefits and work claims.
- Managing correspondence, diaries, and data analysis.
Strict Exclusions and Vetting Procedures
While offering opportunities, the scheme maintains significant safeguards. It explicitly excludes individuals convicted of the most serious offences. Those who have served life sentences, along with sex offenders, terrorists, arsonists, and people convicted of hate crimes, are barred from applying.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson emphasised the programme's dual purpose: "This programme supports prison leavers into jobs, where they're less likely to reoffend and can make a positive contribution to society." The spokesperson also stressed that all applicants, including those from this scheme, must pass the same stringent security vetting standards as any other civil servant.
The scheme also extends beyond ex-offenders, offering positions to military veterans, people who have experienced homelessness or care, autistic individuals, and carers. Separately, the Ministry of Justice runs a Probation Employment Pathway for those on probation, which is not included in these recruitment figures.
Broader Context of Criminal Record Reform
This initiative emerges alongside wider governmental discussions about the long-term impact of criminal records. Justice Secretary David Lammy is reportedly considering plans that could see certain childhood criminal records wiped clean to prevent petty crimes from blighting opportunities later in life.
Evidence suggests people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s can still have minor offences from their youth, such as street fighting or bike theft, disclosed to potential employers. In a 2017 review, Mr Lammy recommended a US-style system where individuals could apply to a judge to seal their records if they demonstrate rehabilitation. However, defining which 'serious offences' would be excluded remains a potential hurdle.
The expansion of the Civil Service itself provides the backdrop for this recruitment drive. The service has grown significantly, from 384,000 staff in 2016 to over 500,000 in 2023, creating more vacancies across its departments.
