What Offences Show Up On DBS Checks?
The types of offence that show up on a DBS check can cause some confusion. In fact, we get asked the question all the time – exactly what offences are revealed on DBS checks?
Alas, the answer isn’t straightforward. We’d love to just give you a list of all the different offences and convictions that show up, but it’s not that easy.
For a start, there are different levels of DBS checks that reveal different items from your criminal record. Also, some types of offence drop off your record after a certain period of time, while others don’t.
The 3 Different Levels of DBS Check
DBS Checks are broken down into three different levels, all revealing different types of offences and convictions.
We’re going to go through each level of DBS check, one-by-one, to inform you as to what shows up on each.
Basic DBS Check
A Basic DBS Check reveals any unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
An unspent conviction is one that hasn’t met the specified period set out for the conviction to be considered spent, as set out by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Spent convictions do not show up on your criminal record as they are effectively expunged after a certain amount of time.
Please note that any conviction that carries a prison sentence of more than two and half years will never be considered spent.
A conditional caution is for less serious crimes and is given when the offender holds their hands up to the crime and is accepting of all the conditions of the caution. For example, let’s say a vandal is caught deliberately damaging someone’s car and is told to pay for the repairs as a condition of the caution. If they admit the crime and pay for the repairs then they have met the conditions of the caution.
Conditional cautions are considered spent and removed from the person’s criminal record after 3 months of the caution date or condition end.
Standard DBS Check
The Standard DBS Check shows up spent and unspent convictions, warnings, reprimands, and cautions.
The only time that convictions and cautions will not show up is if they are ‘protected’. Protected convictions and cautions are old or irrelevant ones that do not need to show up on a DBS check and get filtered out. The government introduced this system several years ago to prevent discrimination against reformed criminals.
However, certain crimes will never be filtered, including serious offences such as:
- Serious sexual crimes
- Terror-related crimes
- Manslaughter or murder
- Drug dealing
- Safeguarding-related offence
Cautions get filtered 6 years after the issue date for adults, or 2 years after the issue date for minors (under the age of 18), as long as the offence is not on the list of crimes that can never be filtered.
Convictions are filtered after 11 years for adults, or 5.5 years for minors, but only if there was no prison or custodial sentence given, there are no other crimes on record, and it doesn’t appear on the non-filterable list of offences.
Enhanced DBS Check
The Enhanced DBS Check will reveal spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, reprimands, and any other relevant notes or information held by local police forces.
Relevant information or notes refer to what the police describe as “police intelligence” and “non-conviction information”. For instance, any offence that ends up with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND), i.e. fines, are held as notes on a file. Allegations of crimes are also recorded. These may be relevant if the alleged crime or crimes were of a sexual or violent nature.
Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List Check
The Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List Check is exactly the same as the Enhanced DBS Check, but it includes an extra layer of checks. The DBS hold two lists of names and details of offenders that are deemed to pose such a risk that they are barred from certain jobs and professions.
There is one barred list to prevent people from working with children and another for vulnerable adults. Anybody that is convicted of serious crimes that may pose a safeguarding risk will find their name added to one or both barred lists.
Find Out More About DBS Checks
Contact us today if you want to ask any questions about DBS checks and what shows up on them.
