Ex offender status flag

This flag is derived based upon the participant's voluntary response to the Jobseeker Snapshot's Criminal Convictions section, which asks two questions with slight variations based upon the participant's age: 

1. If a participant has recently spent time in prison:

• Within the previous 2 years for participants younger than 23 years of age,
• Since the age of 21 for participants between 23 and 28 years old,
• Within the previous 7 years for participants older than 28 years of age. 

If the participant indicates they have not recently spent time in prison, they are asked a follow up question:

      2. If they have been convicted of a criminal offense but received a non-custodial sentence in the previous:

• 5 years, for participants younger than 23 years of age
• since the age of 21, for participants between the ages of 23 and 28, 
• 10 years, for participants older than 28 years of age. 

Participants can also choose not to answer either or both of these questions.

If a participant responds with any answer other than 'No' or 'Do not wish to answer', they are identified an ex-offender; if they answer 'No' or 'Do not wish to answer' to both of the questions, they are not identified as an ex-offender.