No second chance for criminals, say Wiganers

More than half of Wigan residents believe ex-criminals should not have minor offences filtered from their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) records, a survey has shown.

If a person commits a minor crime in their youth, this will currently not show up on checks by employers. The list of convictions that could be filtered from a DBS check as long as they meet certain requirements, include shoplifting, common assault, destruction of property and driving under the influence of alcohol. If they are filtered, they will not be disclosed to anyone who requests to view a certificate. In fact, it is illegal for an employer to take into account a conviction that has been filtered.

But online DBS checking platform uCheck.co.uk conducted a survey and it was found that the majority of Britops do not believe in second chances with 54 per cent saying ex-criminals should not have minor convictions filtered from their records.

And in Wigan that figure was higher at 56 per cent.

West Midlands residents topped the table with 64 while only 43 per cent of Londoners felt the filter should be ditched.

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