If you’ve visited our head office, you’ll know it’s not flashy – it’s in an older shared community building in Maidstone. We don’t do bonuses. And our budget is smaller than Boris Johnson’s appearance fee (probably).

But what we do have is a team that’s passionate, committed and rooted in lived experience. A team of people who know what it means to try to move on from a criminal record, long after the sentence is served.

“You helped me when I got out of prison”

I love Unlock. I love it for many reasons. I love Unlock because passion and drive for change is etched deep in our DNA from our founding story over 25 years ago, to today in the commitment and determination of our volunteers and staff. Perhaps someone you know has been helped by our expert team.

I was sitting in a fancy Select Committee Room in Parliament, between two lived experience justice reform leaders. One leaned over to me and whispered, “I know Unlock.” They smiled. “They helped me when I got out of prison.”

The jewels in our crown

One of the jewels in our crown is our confidential helpline. It supports thousands of people each year, people who are unsure of their rights, worried about DBS checks, or facing discrimination because of past convictions. The team gives practical advice from a position of experience that can be life-changing.

There’s something incredibly moving about reading the feedback from people we’ve helped. People from all walks of life say the no-nonsense advice they received helped them, or a loved one, turn their life around. I read one recently:

“I just wanted to say thank you.

“Today, my son was successful in having an indefinite restraining order revoked. We only realised his 17-year-old conviction was not spent because of this order when it appeared on a basic DBS. This resulted in a job offer from Barclays being rescinded.

“We were devastated and didn’t know what to do or where to turn, until we discovered you.

“You listened, empathised, and explained how to approach the courts to remove the order. Your advice meant a court date was offered promptly. Today, the order was revoked.

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

This story, which I took verbatim from our feedback inbox, is just one of many.

They aren’t rare. And they’re the reason we do what we do.

The stories we hear reflect deeper injustices

While the helpline is what we’re best known for, we also campaign for systemic change because the stories we hear reflect wider injustices in the criminal records system.

Through the FairChecks campaign, which we run alongside Transform Justice, we’ve pushed for long-overdue reform of the filtering rules that decide what shows up on DBS checks. We’ve called for the end of indefinite disclosure and highlighted how minor offences, often committed in childhood or adolescence, can lead to lifelong punishment.

We’re also tackling the problem we call “The Internet Effect,” which describes how spent convictions can stay online indefinitely, undermining the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. We’re exploring legal and policy routes to fix this, including engagement with tech companies, the use of GDPR, and potential legislative reform to give people a real right to be forgotten.

Then there’s the issue of prisoner voting, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because engagement in democracy is more important than ever. At a time of growing mistrust in politics, widening the franchise and involving people in the democratic process could help strengthen the foundations of our political system.

Leadership that understands

Our CEO, Paula Harriott, is a tireless activist and campaigner in the sector. She gets it, not just because she listens, but because she’s lived it. As someone with direct experience of the criminal justice system, Paula brings bold, unapologetic leadership rooted in justice and humanity.

Small, specialist and essential

If you’re a small charity, you’ll recognise the pressures we face. Funding is tight while demand continues to grow. With more people likely to leave prison earlier following the sentencing review, our advice service will only become more essential.

We believe real reform happens when the people most affected by a system are trusted to lead the change. That’s what we do at Unlock. We turn insight into action. When I hear our advice team at work and see the impact of our campaigning, I’m inspired. Because as well as giving people hope, we give them a solid, informed plan.

The long shadow of the criminal record

But we can’t do it alone. If we want a justice system that genuinely supports rehabilitation and second chances, we need to value the role of small, specialist organisations. And we need to show that in how we fund, partner and legislate, not just in warm words.

Millions of people in the UK live under the shadow of old convictions, unsure of where to turn.

We want them to know: Unlock is here. We see you. We’ve been there. And we will help you move forward.

Unlock’s work is so necessary. The calls to our expert advisors, our campaigning on childhood offences in the FairChecks campaign, on digital records, and on the continued punishment of people in prison through the loss of civic rights are all so vital.

But why are they so vital?

In answering that, I find myself returning to what feels like the Zen riddle of criminal justice reform:

What would it take for a criminal record to truly stop being a life sentence?

Find out more about Unlock's work here

Sign up to the FairChecks campaign here

Mark Chamberlain

Communications and Policy Officer, Unlock