Childhood criminal records could be wiped under plans being considered by David Lammy.
The Justice Secretary is considering simplifying the current system to prevent people from being affected by petty crimes in later life.
It comes after evidence showed that people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s still had offences of street fighting and bike thefts in their youth disclosed to employers.
It is not known whether the move would affect more serious offences such as drug dealing or harassment.
Mr Lammy told The Telegraph: ‘We will consider opportunities to simplify the criminal records regime to ensure it is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.’
He previously called for childhood convictions to be wiped after a period of time unless they were the most serious offences.
In a 2017 review of criminal justice for David Cameron, Mr Lammy recommended a US-style approach which would allow people to apply to a judge to seal their criminal records if they can prove that they have been rehabilitated.
Mr Lammy was commissioned by the Conservative government to explore how members of the black, Asian and other minority communities are treated by the criminal justice system, while he was a backbench Labour MP.
Justice Secretary David Lammy is considering plans to wipe childhood convictions
Under his recommendation, if a decision by a judge or a parole board went the applicant’s way, the criminal record would still exist but the person would not need to disclose it and employers would be unable to see it.
The convictions would not be wiped from the record or quashed but the intention is to give people a second chance.
The proposals could hit a roadblock over a definition of ‘serious offences’, as the Deputy Prime Minister would have to decide whether offences such as dealing drugs or racial abuse could be wiped after a period of time.
Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, previously said judges should have the power to wipe criminal records of people who had ‘done their time’ for silly crimes committed as a child.
Last year a 13-year-old girl admitted to threatening violent behaviour after she kicked a glass door at an asylum hotel.
The offence will stay on her record for life and will be disclosed if she works in a job with children.
Recent figures from a freedom of information request showed that around 160,000 people had their childhood offences disclosed to prospective employers.
They included people in their 50s who still had offences of stealing a bicycle or boarding a train without a ticket, from their childhood, on their record for checks by employers.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘We want to help children who have committed crime to stop reoffending and turn their lives around. That is why the Government is actively exploring opportunities to simplify the criminal records system, while always putting public safety first.’