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Unlock National Association of Ex-Offenders, [1] [2] commonly referred to as Unlock, is an independent United Kingdom-based charity, established in 2000 to campaign for the equality of reformed offenders. Unlock describes its vision as "A fair and inclusive society where people with criminal records can move on positively in their lives".
The association was originally established in 1998 by a group of reformed offenders who had successfully rebuilt their lives after serving prison sentences. They wanted to use their experience of the great difficulties faced by those coming out of prison to assist others who genuinely wanted to "go straight". This group included Stephen Fry, Bob Turney and founding Chief Executive Mark Leech, who left the organization in May 2002 to pursue commercial interests. Bobby Cummines was Chief Executive until he stepped down in March 2012 to pursue private business interests and he was succeeded by Chris Bath who held the role of Executive Director until March 2013. Unlock’s first president was Sir Stephen Tumim a former judge and former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. Unlock gained charitable status in the year 2000. In 2007 it rebranded as Unlock, The National Association of Reformed Offenders in order to emphasize the journey which its members had been on. In 2013, the charity adopted the slogan "for people with convictions", changing this in April 2021 to "for people with criminal records".
The charity delivers charitably-funded services for people with criminal records. This includes a peer-run helpline that deals with over 5,000 enquiries a year, and a range of online services, including a self-help information site and a disclosure calculator.
The charity also works with government, employers, insurers and others, to challenge and support so that people with criminal records are treated fairly.
The office of president is currently vacant. The most recent president was David Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham, former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and a cross-bencher life peer of the House of Lords who served as president until his death in December 2022.
The CEO of Unlock is Angela Cairns, who has held the position since May 2021.[ citation needed ]
The organisation is funded by voluntary donations from both individuals and charitable organisations. Major projects are funded by grants from charitable trusts.
A criminal record, police record, or colloquially RAP sheet is a record of a person's criminal history. The information included in a criminal record and the existence of a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country. In most cases it lists all non-expunged criminal offences and may also include traffic offences such as speeding and drunk driving. In some countries the record is limited to actual convictions, while in others it also includes arrests, charges dismissed, charges pending and charges of which the individual has been acquitted.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (c.53) of the UK Parliament enables some criminal convictions to be ignored after a rehabilitation period. Its purpose is that people do not have a lifelong blot on their records because of a relatively minor offence in their past. The rehabilitation period is automatically determined by the sentence. After this period, if there has been no further conviction the conviction is "spent" and, with certain exceptions, need not be disclosed by the ex-offender in any context such as when applying for a job, obtaining insurance, or in civil proceedings. A conviction for the purposes of the ROA includes a conviction issued outside Great Britain and therefore foreign convictions are eligible to receive the protection of the ROA.
General David John Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham, was a British Army officer, who later served as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. He was awarded a life peerage in 2005, and later sat on the crossbenches of the House of Lords.
Sir Stephen Tumim was an English judge, and was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons from 1987 to 1995.
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Koestler Arts is a charity which helps ex-offenders, secure patients and detainees in the UK to express themselves creatively. It promotes the arts in prisons, secure hospitals, immigration centres and in the community, encouraging creativity and the acquisition of new skills as a means to rehabilitation. The Koestler awards were founded in 1962 and the organisation became a charitable trust in 1969 following a bequest from the British-Hungarian author, Arthur Koestler.
Revolving Doors is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which works across England and Wales. Through research, policy and campaigning work, the organisation aims to improve services for people with multiple needs who are in repeat contact with the criminal justice system.
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Ban the Box is the name of an American campaign by advocates for ex-offenders aimed at removing the check box that asks if applicants have a criminal record from hiring applications. Its purpose is to enable ex-offenders to display their qualifications in the hiring process before being asked about their criminal records. The premise of the campaign is that anything that makes it harder for ex-offenders to find a job makes it likelier that they will reoffend, which is bad for society.
The Forgiveness Project is a UK-based charity that uses real stories of victims and perpetrators of crime and violence to help people explore ideas around forgiveness and alternatives to revenge. With no political or religious affiliations, The Forgiveness Project's independent and inclusive approach ensures its core message – that everyone has the potential to change their perspective and break the cycle of vengeance – resonates across all cultures.
Criminal justice reform addresses structural issues in criminal justice systems such as racial profiling, police brutality, overcriminalization, mass incarceration, and recidivism. Reforms can take place at any point where the criminal justice system intervenes in citizens’ lives, including lawmaking, policing, sentencing and incarceration. Criminal justice reform can also address the collateral consequences of conviction, including disenfranchisement or lack of access to housing or employment, that may restrict the rights of individuals with criminal records.
National Prison Radio is the world's first national radio station for prisoners. It is run by the Prison Radio Association, a charity, in partnership with His Majesty's Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week to prisoners in over 100 establishments across England and Wales. Prisoners receive the service as an audio channel via in-cell TV systems. It is available to over 80,000 prisoners.
The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. The Queen's Birthday Honours for the United Kingdom were announced on 16 June; the honours for New Zealand were announced on 5 June and for Australia on 12 June.
Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor is an English criminologist, philanthropist and prison reformer. She is a founder and a trustee of the charity The Clink, and founder of the charity One Small Thing. She is the sister of Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster.