criminal record

[stevo5]

How long does a mister meaner criminal record last, how long before you could say to a prospective employer you do not have a c.r , or is it recorded for life (is 18yrs without further trouble long enough to say no c.r)???

[pezza.......]

A criminal offence falls into a couple of categories. One is those that become 'spent' after a certain period of time. These will be disregarded in the majority of cases and the application form will actually state something along the lines of 'excluding those conviction considered spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act etc etc'. I think the time period is 5 years.

The other type of offence is those which dont become 'spent' under the relevant act. These are usually the more serious offences against the person and would be counted against you however long after the event.

If you do a Google (other good search engines are available) search for Rehabilitation of Offenders Act you should be able to fully answer the question.

Hope this helps

[pezza.......]

I have found this website.

http://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/rehabact.htm

Hope this answers it properly.

[pezza.......]

I was almost right, hope I didnt mislead.

[stevie21]

Is "misdemenour" an American phrase? Is it UK law that you're referring to?


btw : "mister meaner" - maybe I shouldn't laugh but I nearly fell off my seat!

[tomd]

The idea of a 'spend conviction' is a fairly recent development though, so offences which would nowadays result in a short-term 'unspent' conviction can still be permanently recorded on your record if commited before spend convictions were introduced.

[stevo5]

Manythanks pezza, a very useful website !

[clancyblob]

I worked in criminal justice for quite a while, until a few years ago. It used to be that the length of time before a conviction was "spent" depended on the sentence given for the offence. The Criminal Record exists for ever, but if it is "spent" you don't have to declare it. However certain jobs and situations are exempted from this provision - I think it was the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act - (e,g, working with children and vulnerable adults, working in the law, etc etc). Things may have changed a bit since I left that job.