Anne Fox has been announced as Unlock’s new Chair of Trustees. Anne succeeds Faye Goldman who served as Chair and eight years as a trustee at Unlock and leaves with our heartfelt thanks for eight years of service. Anne brings a wealth of experience of leadership in the voluntary sector, having led Clinks, the national infrastructure charity supporting voluntary organisations working with people in the criminal justice system in England and Wales for the past ten years.

Anne is passionate about the power and potential of the voluntary sector and enabling it to be an effective source of essential support for people who deserve every chance of a bright future. She is committed to the full inclusion of people with criminal records and anti-racism.

On Anne’s appointment, Unlock’s CEO Paula Harriott said:

“Anne Fox’s appointment as Chair of Unlock marks an exciting new chapter for the organisation. With over a decade of leadership as CEO of Clinks, she brings deep expertise, credibility, and a strong commitment to strengthening the voluntary sector and amplifying lived experience. Her track record of championing collaboration and influencing system change positions Unlock well to grow its impact and continue driving forward fairer opportunities for people with criminal records.”

Speaking following the recent board meeting, Anne Fox said:

“I am absolutely delighted to be stepping into the Chair role at Unlock, a charity I’ve admired for over 10 years, a charity that’s as vital and needed as it was 25 years ago. I’m excited to work with Paula Harriott, the board, staff team and the people at the heart of everything Unlock does, people with criminal records.”

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As part of the government’s inquiry into the causes of youth unemployment, FairChecks have submitted evidence showing the link between criminal records and youth unemployment.

The review, for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, will look into the drivers behind the increase of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

A significant barrier that many young people face is the long shadow of a criminal record. Our submission to the inquiry highlights evidence that shows:

• The number of DBS checks is increasing (7.2 million in 2024-25) at a time when more employers (30%) are saying that they would automatically exclude a candidate who declared an unspent conviction.
• This disproportionality affects young people, with more checks being undertaken on young people (18-25) than other age groups.
• The majority of checks which revealed some form of childhood offence only revealed childhood offences. So in most of these cases, those who had offended as a child had not offended as an adult. Again this affects young people more as they are closer to the age of any childhood offence, and are there more likely to have an offence revealed on a DBS check.

We have therefore made recommendations to the inquiry to give more young people the opportunity to fulfill their potential. These include:

• Wiping the slate clean for childhood offences at a specific interval.
• No automatic disclosure of cautions.
• Short and suspended sentences be removed from Enhanced checks after a set number of years.

You can read our full submission here.

FairChecks is a movement led by Unlock and Transform Justice. Read more about FairChecks here.

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As part of Unlock the Vote, our campaign to extend the right to vote to more people in prison, we have published our report “Why Prisoner Voting Matters”.

The current system for prisoner voting in the UK damages democracy, harms rehabilitation, and is not consistent across the UK.

Our report explores which prisoners currently have the right to vote and how they are supposed to be able to access this right.

Academic studies and our own research has found that:

• In England and Wales it is estimated that over 21,000 people in prison, and around 15% of the prison population are eligible to vote.
• In practice, very few are able to access this right with many local authorities being unfamiliar with the current rules.
• Maintaining the right to voting aids rehabilitation and gives an increased sense of civic responsibility.
• Widening participation strengthens our democracy, with the healthiest democracies across the world extending the right to vote to all prisoners. Among western democracies, the UK has some of the most restrictive laws around prisoner voting.

You can read our report in full here.

The post Why Prisoner Voting Matters appeared first on Unlock.

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Search engines, news archives and social media mean that spent convictions can remain visible indefinitely, undermining rehabilitation and perpetuating stigma.

This is a common theme that people contact us about for advice and assistance. Employers, education providers and others are able to easily discover information online that they would not legally receive from a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. As technology has evolved since the 1970’s, so should our laws.

We have published a briefing on the Right to be Forgotten which explores:

• How online criminal record data impacts employment, housing and wellbeing
• Why current GDPR delisting processes fall short
• Unlock’s recommendations for digital rehabilitation reform including
  • Modernising the ROA for the internet era
  • Clear public interest tests for retaining historic conviction data
  • Stronger ICO powers and ethical standards for reporting

Rehabilitation is not about erasing the past, it’s about recognising change and enabling second chances. Without urgent action, algorithms – not law – will decide who gets to move on.

Read our report here.

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Unlock has today joined more than 20 organisations in co-signing an open letter, coordinated by Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT), urging the Justice and Education Secretaries to drop the proposals contained in clause 35 of the Sentencing Bill.

Naming and shaming

Under these plans, probation practitioners would have new powers to publish the names and photographs of people carrying out unpaid work as part of a Community Sentence.
The letter highlights that these measures would do little to support rehabilitation or reduce reoffending. Instead, they risk making it harder for people to move on with their lives, find work, or secure housing. It would also increase stigma for families and children, putting them at risk of bullying, emotional harm and even threats of violence or vigilantism.

Unpaid Work Orders

In 2023, 47,765 people were sentenced to Unpaid Work Orders. This figure is expected to rise significantly once the Sentencing Bill comes into force, as courts will be required to consider community sentences for many offences previously resulting in short prison terms.

Every year, around 200,000 children experience the imprisonment of a parent. Public exposure of a parent’s punishment can bring:

• stigmatisation and bullying, particularly at school

• physical threats and harassment, sometimes forcing children to change schools or names

• emotional and psychological harm linked to stigma and shame.

Unlock signed this letter because stigma creates barriers to rehabilitation – for individuals and their families. Exposing people in this way would make it harder to build a fair, safe and effective justice system.

Read the open letter.

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Over 70,000 people in prison in England and Wales are denied the right to vote.

This is wrong. Democracy doesn’t depend on ‘good behaviour’, it’s a right that belongs to all of us. Removing the vote weakens our democracy and sends a message that some voices don’t count.

The Lammy Review in 2017 showed how minoritised communities are overrepresented in prison. Denying the vote compounds that injustice. Without a vote, marginalised people are further silenced.

Fewer people voting

Voter turnout has dropped over the last 30 years: from 77.7% in the 1992 General Election to just 60 per cent in the 2024 Election. That drop is more than just a statistic, it’s a sign. It symbolises democracy becoming less participatory and more fragile.

It’s up to all of us to change this. And we can change this.

It’s time to Unlock the Vote.

Why it matters

• 1 in 4 of us has a criminal record…yet without a vote, people in prison are cut off from decisions that affect them, their families and their communities.
• Society matters. With fewer people voting, we have to do what’s right for the most marginalised people in society and to save our democracy.
• The UK remains out of step with some of our nearest neighbours such as Eire, Scotland, Jersey and Guernsey. Some of our European neighbours already offer the vote to people in prison. Our Scandinavian friends allow voting to a greater and lesser extent. And US states Maine and Vermont have removed the barriers to voting. Why are England and Wales the exception?

What we’re calling for

Unlock the Vote is a new campaign to:

• Remove the barriers to voting for people in prison.
• Start a national conversation about democracy and civic inclusion.

A movement for change

This campaign is led by Unlock, the charity for people with criminal records, alongside allies across civil society, parliament and communities. We are bringing together lived experience, research, and international examples to show that change is both possible and vital.

Your resources

Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates as well as this page.

Unlock the Vote overview briefing: This short document gives you some answers to the ‘whys’, ‘whats’ and ‘whos’ that you might have

Unlock the Vote A Manifesto for Change: This is our rallying cry. We can do this. Together.

How you can help

• Show your support for Unlock the Vote by posting about the need to remove barriers to voting for people in prison on your social media channels.
• Share the message: talk about why voting matters, and challenge the myths with our briefing paper and manifesto.
• Get in touch. Let us know that you’re interested in joining the movement and we’ll add you to our mailing list, write to: [email protected]

Together, we can ensure that everyone, no matter their past, has a say in the future.

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