Criminal Convictions

Understanding Disclosure Scotland process and disclosing criminal convictions when volunteering or applying for jobs.

Dispelling the myths and unlocking your potential

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1 in 4 people in Scotland have a criminal conviction

You're not alone here. There are almost a million other people in Scotland who also have criminal convictions.

Having a criminal conviction doesn't stop you from getting a job or volunteering

There may be certain criminal convictions that will affect certain jobs*

There are different levels of disclosure and some convictions will be 'spent'

Spent convictions do not show up on a basic disclosure check. A spent conviction is*

What are all the different types of disclosures?

Listen to the full audio to hear all about the different types of disclosures.

*Spent Criminal Convictions - The word 'spent' is when you no longer need to tell people about your criminal convictions. This is because enough time has passed since it happened. If someone asks you if you have a criminal conviction you can normally say 'No' if your conviction is spent. Your conviction will always be kept on records that the police and criminal justice system have.

*Unspent Criminal Convictions - The word ' Unspent' is used when someone must admit to having a criminal conviction if they are asked. It means not enough time has passed for the criminal to become 'spent'.