The current law on the rehabilitation of offenders in Northern Ireland is being challenged in the High Court.
Article 6 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders (NI) Order 1978 states that prison sentences lasting more than 30 months are excluded from rehabilitation. This means such convictions can never become spent and must be disclosed to employers, insurance companies and others.
There is also no mechanism for the person involved to apply for their conviction to become spent, regardless of the passage of time or personal circumstances.
The Human Rights Commission is now supporting the case of an individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, who is seeking to challenge the law and have it reformed.