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Niacro Welcomes Milestone Progress on Criminal Records Reform in Justice Bill

Thursday 2 July 2026

Niacro Response to Rehabilitation of Offenders Amendments – Consideration Stage

Niacro warmly welcomes the successful passage of the Rehabilitation of Offenders amendments at the Consideration Stage of the Justice Bill in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday 30 June 2026. This represents a significant and long-overdue step forward in supporting rehabilitation, reducing barriers to employment, and building safer communities.

 

We particularly recognise the positive leadership and work of Minister of Justice Naomi Long and the Assembly members across parties who have worked together to help make rehabilitation a practical reality for people who have served their sentences.

 

The amendments, now advanced in the Bill, will:

  • Shorten rehabilitation periods for many sentences
  • Extend the possibility of convictions becoming spent for custodial sentences of up to 10 years
  • Simplify arrangements for non-custodial disposals
  • Apply the reforms retrospectively, with appropriate safeguards

 

These changes have the potential to positively transform the lives of thousands of people across Northern Ireland who are working hard to rebuild their futures.

 

Continued Concerns and Call for Further Reform

While we celebrate this important progress, Niacro remains concerned that the amendments continue to rely on a sentence-length threshold. Our experience and international evidence show that people who remain offence-free for a significant period present no greater risk than those with no criminal record.

 

We therefore urge the Committee for Justice and the Department of Justice to commit to further legislative reform – either during the remaining stages of this Bill or early in the next Assembly mandate – to remove the 10-year exclusion and introduce automatic rehabilitation periods for all sentence lengths (with permanent exclusion limited to clearly defined serious offences).

 

We also call for:

  1. Any regulations under the new application route to be fair, accessible, timely, transparent, low-cost, and supported by clear criteria and practical assistance.
  2. Accelerated cross-departmental action on employer engagement, public awareness, trauma-informed services, and sustainable funding for the voluntary and community sector.

 

Looking Ahead

We look forward to the further Consideration Stage of the Bill in the autumn and to continued collaboration with the Minister, the Department of Justice, and Assembly members to deliver the strongest possible rehabilitation framework for Northern Ireland.

 

Supporting Individuals and Employers

Niacro continues to support people with criminal records through practical guidance and advice via Disclosure NI. We also work directly with employers to enable safe and fair recruitment decisions. For more information on Disclosure NI, visit: www.disclosureni.com/