Hiring ex-offenders has been proven to be good for employers and society, so why have hiring rates dropped, asks James Reed in today’s Notebook

A conviction shouldn’t lock you out of the workforce

Work has the power to change lives and nowhere is that clearer than in helping people leaving prison find a fresh start. For over 25 years, Reed in Partnership, part of the Reed Group, has supported people facing barriers to work, from those who have been long-term unemployed to those who have served time, helping thousands into jobs that give them stability and purpose.

Our upcoming report, though, shows a worrying trend: employers today are less willing to hire ex-offenders than they were in 2013. That’s despite compelling evidence that employment is the most reliable way to prevent re-offending. It is good for individuals, good for society and good for the organisations that give people a second chance. In fact, around a third of employers who have done so say ex-offenders are as reliable, or even more reliable, than other staff.

So why the decline? The rise in Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks is one factor. More than one in three of all jobs now require them, which makes sense in certain areas, no........

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