This guidance provides background information on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, explains who benefits from it, and sets out rehabilitation periods for offences covered by the act.

It will help you to understand the difference between spent and unspent convictions, and which convictions you need to declare when applying for jobs or insurance.

It also explains where exceptions to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act exist, when all cautions or convictions must be disclosed, even if spent.

Rehabilitation of Offenders (PDF 0.28mb 5 pages)