We met with Dr. Jo Easton, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Unlock on the All Things Youth Justice Podcast. Unlock is an organisation that provides support to and advocates for people with criminal records in England and Wales. Unlock is a charity which was founded by a group of former prisoners who desired to utilise their experiences to support people with convictions to enable them to move forward with their lives and obtain positive outcomes.
Dr. Jo joined Unlock in 2022 having worked in policy, communications, and research roles for various charities in the justice and human rights sectors, including INQUEST, the Human Rights Clinic at Essex University, the Magistrates Association, and the IMB/LO Secretariat. She has completed a PhD in Human Rights Law, which looked at the participation of bereaved families in investigations following deaths in custody and has been published as a book. Jo is passionate about arguing for positive change in the law, policy, and practice to make a real difference for people who are excluded or disadvantaged due to criminal records.
I really enjoyed talking about Unlock's project to develop a distinct system for childhood offences on the All Things Youth Justice Podcast. All the great people at Leicestershire Cares see the negative impact of criminal records on young people every day and it just shows how important it is to build consensus on what a new system should look like.
Dr. Jo Easton- Director of Policy and Advocacy- Unlock
Dr. Jo confirmed that she works on the advocacy element of Unlock which involves advocating for change within parliament by engaging peers and members of parliament in dialogue about the criminal record system. As part of Dr Jo’s role, she confirmed that she works with employers and Universities to educate them on the criminal records system and the importance of being inclusive.
She also highlighted the complexity of the disclosure system. It was highlighted that several people over-disclose information; the information provided may then be utilised by employers to exclude potential employees from accessing legal employment. Dr. Jo also emphasized the importance of understanding the context within which an offence was committed before an employer makes a decision.
Dr. Jo confirmed that whilst the youth justice system is distinct from the criminal justice system, the criminal records system for children almost replicates the adult criminal record system with the exception of shorter periods for spent convictions. She advocates that the welfare of the child should remain foremost and children should be given the ability to move on from offences committed in their childhood to give them a fair chance to secure positive outcomes in future.
To learn more about the work of Unlock, click the link below:
https://unlock.org.uk/about-us/
If you are a business and you would like to get involved in the work that we do by providing valuable work experience/work trials, please get in touch using the email address below.
Youth Justice Project Development Manager
Chikodi Lori
chikodi@leicestershirecares.co.uk
To read about our Power to Change approach, click on the link below:
https://www.leicestershirecares.co.uk/about-charity/our-approach/power-to-change/#:~:text=We%20believe%20our%20power%20to,city%20and%20county%20for%20all.
For more information and insight into our Youth Justice Projects click the links below:
Man Cave Participants Dive into Finance and Business Strategy | Leicestershire Cares
Man Cave Session: Business Ideas, Marketing, and Branding | Leicestershire Cares