Reforming Childhood Criminal Records Disclosure

Jake Richards Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

I am today launching the Government’s consultation “Reforming childhood criminal records disclosure”. This consultation takes forward an important element of the once-in-a-generation reforms set out in the May 2026 White Paper “Cutting youth crime, changing young lives”. It seeks views on targeted and proportionate reforms to the criminal records disclosure regime for childhood offending. The proposed reforms seek to update the regime so that it strikes a better balance between rehabilitation and public protection—between enabling ex-offenders to move on with their lives, while safeguarding the public.

For some individuals, a childhood conviction can continue to have consequences long after the behaviour that led to it has ceased, affecting opportunities well into adulthood. Those who have put their offending behind them should be given the chance to take up suitable employment, secure stable housing, improve their life chances and contribute to society. Many people who offended as children go on to live law-abiding and productive lives.

But we know that holding a criminal record can significantly impede opportunities for future employment. And research consistently shows that creating barriers to opportunity is counterproductive, given that education and employment is associated with lower rates of reconviction. As the rt hon. Alan Milburn highlighted in his “Young people and work: interim report”, too many young people are being held back from building productive, fulfilling lives. For those with childhood criminal records, these barriers can be particularly difficult to overcome, even many years after they have completed their sentence.

Therefore, this consultation proposes targeted reforms that maintain robust public protection while ensuring that people are not unnecessarily held back by mistakes made as children. By helping more people to fulfil their potential, secure opportunities and contribute positively to their communities, we can support both rehabilitation and wider social and economic outcomes.

Proposals we are seeking views on include removing the requirement to disclose for life certain offences such as robbery, which when committed during childhood can reflect adolescent impulsivity rather than an ongoing risk of criminal behaviour and shorter custodial sentences for standard and enhanced disclosure checks. Instead, we propose that these should be disclosed for a specified period.

Disclosure and information sharing are essential to public protection and safeguarding. This consultation does not represent a shift away from that. Rather, it seeks views on specific areas of disclosure relating to childhood offending that can create unnecessary and potentially counterproductive barriers to employment, education and other opportunities. The proposals set out in this consultation are intended to preserve the strong protections afforded by the current regime while supporting rehabilitated individuals to access opportunities and move forward with their lives.

If taken forward, these proposals would help to ensure that individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation are not prevented from accessing education, training and employment opportunities. For many, this could represent the difference between remaining excluded from opportunity and being able to realise their potential, contribute to their communities and build stable futures. As children from ethnic minority backgrounds—particularly black children—and those with neurodivergence or additional needs are over-represented in the youth justice system, these groups in particular stand to benefit from the proposed changes.

The consultation is being laid before Parliament today.

[HCWS468]