Finding work after release can be tough anywhere, for all the usual reasons – but in Scotland, the rules on telling an employer about old convictions, and the main charity offering hands-on help, are different from England & Wales.
Disclosure periods are shorter in Scotland. The Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 cut how long most convictions have to be disclosed to employers, often by quite a lot. For example, for an adult given a 12-month prison sentence, the disclosure period dropped from 10 years to 3 years; for a 6-month sentence, it dropped from 7 years to 2.5 years; and a Community Payback Order now only needs to be disclosed for 12 months, down from 5 years. Admonishments and absolute discharges don’t need to be disclosed at all any more. Longer sentences of more than 4 years, and jobs involving children or vulnerable adults, are treated differently and still need full disclosure.
Apex Scotland. Apex Scotland is the country’s main charity helping people with convictions into training, education and employment, working both in the community and inside Scottish prisons. It’s the closest thing Scotland has to charities like Tempus Novo in England & Wales.
Skills Development Scotland and local authority employability services can also help with job searching, CVs and training, alongside voluntary sector organisations working in this area.
England & Wales uses the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 disclosure periods, which are longer than Scotland’s, and different support charities operate there. See our Employment on release page for that system.