Posted on: 21 November, 2022

Cranstoun Bans the Box on job applications to access new talent

Candidates with a criminal record can now apply for jobs at Cranstoun with the knowledge that they will be assessed on their ability to do the job before any convictions are fairly considered.

In signing up to the national campaign from Business in the Community they joined more than 160 employers, including the Civil Service, Boots and Ricoh, who are creating a fair chance for ex-offenders to compete for jobs and bringing down the £18 billion a year cost of reoffending[i].

Having a job can reduce a person’s chance of reoffending by up to 50%[ii] and [insert company name] is leading the way in offering people a chance to turn their lives around while helping to keep communities safer.

Kate Carr, Business in the Community’s Campaign Manager said:

“Two thirds of employers admit to discriminating against people with criminal records but the employers we work with recognise the skills and loyalty this diverse group of people can bring to their roles. Removing the barrier of a tick box can make all the difference to someone deciding to apply to your company or not and we need more forward-thinking employers to join the campaign to help stop the cycle of reoffending.”

 Ends

Notes to editor

About Ban the Box

Business in the Community’s Ban the Box campaign calls on UK employers to remove the tick box and ask about criminal convictions later in the recruitment process – putting an end to the unfair discrimination of ex-offenders. To date, more than 145 employers with a combined workforce of about 918,000 have signed up to the campaign, including the entire Civil Service. The Ministry of Justice wants to see all companies Ban the Box and the employment of ex-offenders in the public and private sectors.

Ban the Box calls for employers to:

• Remove the tick box asking about unspent criminal convictions from job application forms
• Publicly commit to considering applicants’ skills, experience and ability to do the job before asking about criminal convictions

It is not calling for any changes to the checks and processes that are legally required when recruiting for “regulated” roles as defined by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), such as jobs with children or vulnerable adults. For a full list of Ban the Box employers, see: www.bitc.org.uk/banthebox

Media contact

For more information about Ban the Box please contact Kate.Carr@bitc.org.uk

T: 07786800124

The following spokespeople are available for interview:

• Kate Carr, Campaign Manager, Business in the Community

About Business in the Community

Business in the Community, part of the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, is a business-led membership organisation made up of progressive businesses of all sizes who understand that the prosperity of business and society are mutually dependent. We exist to build healthy communities with successful businesses at their heart.

We use our Responsible Business Map to guide members on a journey of continuous improvement, working across the whole responsible business agenda. From community engagement to employment, diversity and the circular economy, we offer expert advice and specialist resources, driving best practice by convening, sharing learning and recognising great performance across our influential network of over 700 members, including over half the FTSE 100. www.bitc.org.uk

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[i] Ministry of Justice (2019) Economic and social costs of reoffending: Analytical report

[ii] The UK government’s own Social Exclusion Unit reported that ‘employment reduces the risk of re-offending by between a third and a half’, in its report  ‘Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners’ (2002) http://www.bristol.ac.uk/poverty/downloads/keyofficialdocuments/Reducing%20Reoffending.pdf