A Centre for Voluntary Services

CRB - Some interesting facts!

  • More than 5 million people in the UK have convictions for crimes that could have involved imprisonment.
  • Less than 10% of convictions are for violence to the person.
  • One in three men under 30 years of age has a criminal record.
  • It is estimated that at least 20% of the working population has a criminal record.
  • 82% of offenders are male.
  • The proportion of offenders convicted only once is higher for females than for males. Almost 80% are convicted on only one occasion before the age of 40.
  • 70% of female offenders are first convicted for theft and handling stolen goods.
  • The most common female offence is theft from shops, 4% of the female population are convicted of the offence at least once, before the age of 40.
  • 50% of offenders are under 21 years of age.
  • 55% of the prison population have qualifications.
  • Home Office statistics show that if a person with a criminal record finds settled employment, or receives training with secured employment at the end, the chances of re-offending are cut by two thirds.
  • Current estimates suggest that it is at least eight times harder for a person with a criminal record to obtain employment than somebody without.
  • Custodial sentences of over two and a half years are NEVER considered spent.
  • Only 0.4% of the population have a conviction by the age of 35 that will never be spent.

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