Criminal records

[keen2learn]

Does anyone know how long a 'station caution' for an offence stays on record? And if a person's crininal record was being checked. would such a caution show up, or is it only convictions that would be recorded?

[stoo_pid]

Depends whether it was a formal caution or an oral (i.e. informal) caution.

If it was a formal caution it will have been recorded by the police, kept on record and may it be cited in any subsequent court proceedings.  You would have been aksed to sign two written copies of the caution, keeping one copy for yourself.

I don't know if a formal caution would appear on a Police check but I would imagine so.

As I understand it, if it was an oral caution it would not have been recorded for the purposes of being cited in court (although I think there still has to be some kind of record of the caution to avoid someone being repeatedly cautioned but never charged).

[Lillabet]

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act allows for convictions and other sanctions to become spent after varying lengths of time. The link below will take you to guidance for most situations. There are however a couple of exceptions where for public interest reasons convictions etc do not become spent. The main two are if you are applying for a job which falls under the heading of being concerned with the administration of justice e.g. police officer and secondly, if you are applying to work with children or young people - teacher nursery worker etc.

http://www.disclosure.gov.uk/docs/pdf/ROA%20Leaflet.pdf

Hope this helps