Why Should Society Support Ex-offenders Into Employment?
It beggar’s belief that, as part of funding cuts, an important resettlement service, ‘National Careers Service’ was completely closed in prisons in early 2018.
Unemployment is a root cause of so many serious problems which negatively impact on numerous other aspects of an ex-offender's life and predictably lead to recidivism (returning to past bad habitual behaviour including reoffending). |
"Unemployed ex-offenders are 1.5 times more likely to be problematic drug users than employed ex-offenders."
"The reoffending rate is more than twice as high for offenders without employment after release compared to those with employment." Source: MOJ Impact of employment on re-offending Propensity Matching
"The reoffending rate is more than twice as high for offenders without employment after release compared to those with employment." Source: MOJ Impact of employment on re-offending Propensity Matching
Employment brings numerous benefits to prisoners and society, providing:
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“Having a job normalises people and their lives and this is exactly what we want to happen to ex-offenders so that they can become productive and fulfilled members of society who want to, and do, follow rules and remain crime free.” PM
Companies which make the decision to employ ex-offenders, report without exception, that it was a good decision for both the employer and employee.
Under current systems and processes, prison and the stigma of a criminal record, statistically result in people who want to work (and who are in the habit of work) being unable to access the labour market. |
25% of people are unemployed when admitted to prison HOWEVER
85% of people are unemployed 12 months after release AND
50% remain unemployed 24 months after release (Source: MOJ 2013 - 2019 compilation figures)
These shocking statistics are despite that fact that 81% of prisoners look for employment upon release.
(Source: ‘Prisoners’ Work & Vocational Training’ by Frances H Simon)
‘UPON RELEASE’ should ring alarm bells because the timing of starting employment matters almost as much as the act of gaining employment. Most people are released from prison with a single grant of just £46 and a travel pass, and they must wait for benefit claims or for a first month’s salary.
Only 6% of people leaving prison receive support to find competitive work. (Source: Centre for Mental Health, From Prison to Work report 2018)
People should begin work at the earliest possible opportunity, either before release or shortly after it, both for financial reasons and also to keep people engaged in purposeful activity. The more seamless we can make this employment transition; the more successful people will be upon release and the more we will reduce reoffending.
“It would be beneficial if employers and prisons worked together to create pathways and opportunities for future employment. There is a large population that have few opportunities open to them, but they want to work and with some guidance they could be a value to society. If training providers, employers and prisons all communicated then everyone would benefit. Without input from companies the likelihood of people reoffending will increase as more people face exclusion from the labour market. We need joined up thinking and working relationships with employers.” TD, former prisoner with 18 years’ experience in prison
I now urge all Prison Governors to:
1) Increase the availability and the instances of temporary release (ROTL) for interviews, training placements and full-time work prior to release. (Update: This is now in progress - July 2019).
2) Help those prisoners who are preparing for release to also prepare for employment. This means providing employability courses, interview coaching and practical help to create CVs and Personal Disclosure Statements.
3) Build relationships with employers to increase the number of academies and training opportunities in prison. Prisons provide numerous skills and qualifications but those links and any clear routes to employment usually stop at the prison gates.
These initiatives would be at nil net cost because prisons deduct a 40% levy from wages paid to serving prisoners who are employed by external companies.
Additionally, I would urge the Government to:
1) Provide incentives to employers who employ ex-offenders, through favourable tax relief or waiver of employer national insurance contributions.
2) Amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, so that all convictions become spent when all orders are completed and when the licence period is spent.
3) Require probation to actively support ex-offenders into employment by forging links with local employers and agencies and to advocate on behalf of the people in their ‘care’/ under their supervision.
4) Place responsibility for enforcement of ‘right to be forgotten’ requests within the remit of the Information commissioner. In this way, Google and historic news sites should not continue to be a huge barrier to employment for people whose crimes were committed many decades earlier, who have completed their licence and who are deemed to no longer present a risk.
These initiatives would also be at nil net cost because employed ex-offenders become financial contributors through taxation, rather than being dependant on benefits. They will be able to contribute to the economy rather than be a drain on it.
It costs an average of £37,000pa to keep someone in prison. The national cost of re-offending is currently £16 Billion a year. (Source: MOJ June 2019). By any calculation, £16,000,000,000 is many times the cost of rehabilitating and supporting people to stop them wanting to (or thinking they need to), reoffend.
Allowing people in prison to begin to rebuild their lives having learnt from their crimes, or to begin to build a crime-free life for the first time, will save society many multiples of what it would cost.
Phil Martin - Please Contact Ex-seed™ with feedback, questions and comments.
85% of people are unemployed 12 months after release AND
50% remain unemployed 24 months after release (Source: MOJ 2013 - 2019 compilation figures)
These shocking statistics are despite that fact that 81% of prisoners look for employment upon release.
(Source: ‘Prisoners’ Work & Vocational Training’ by Frances H Simon)
‘UPON RELEASE’ should ring alarm bells because the timing of starting employment matters almost as much as the act of gaining employment. Most people are released from prison with a single grant of just £46 and a travel pass, and they must wait for benefit claims or for a first month’s salary.
Only 6% of people leaving prison receive support to find competitive work. (Source: Centre for Mental Health, From Prison to Work report 2018)
People should begin work at the earliest possible opportunity, either before release or shortly after it, both for financial reasons and also to keep people engaged in purposeful activity. The more seamless we can make this employment transition; the more successful people will be upon release and the more we will reduce reoffending.
“It would be beneficial if employers and prisons worked together to create pathways and opportunities for future employment. There is a large population that have few opportunities open to them, but they want to work and with some guidance they could be a value to society. If training providers, employers and prisons all communicated then everyone would benefit. Without input from companies the likelihood of people reoffending will increase as more people face exclusion from the labour market. We need joined up thinking and working relationships with employers.” TD, former prisoner with 18 years’ experience in prison
I now urge all Prison Governors to:
1) Increase the availability and the instances of temporary release (ROTL) for interviews, training placements and full-time work prior to release. (Update: This is now in progress - July 2019).
2) Help those prisoners who are preparing for release to also prepare for employment. This means providing employability courses, interview coaching and practical help to create CVs and Personal Disclosure Statements.
3) Build relationships with employers to increase the number of academies and training opportunities in prison. Prisons provide numerous skills and qualifications but those links and any clear routes to employment usually stop at the prison gates.
These initiatives would be at nil net cost because prisons deduct a 40% levy from wages paid to serving prisoners who are employed by external companies.
Additionally, I would urge the Government to:
1) Provide incentives to employers who employ ex-offenders, through favourable tax relief or waiver of employer national insurance contributions.
2) Amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, so that all convictions become spent when all orders are completed and when the licence period is spent.
3) Require probation to actively support ex-offenders into employment by forging links with local employers and agencies and to advocate on behalf of the people in their ‘care’/ under their supervision.
4) Place responsibility for enforcement of ‘right to be forgotten’ requests within the remit of the Information commissioner. In this way, Google and historic news sites should not continue to be a huge barrier to employment for people whose crimes were committed many decades earlier, who have completed their licence and who are deemed to no longer present a risk.
These initiatives would also be at nil net cost because employed ex-offenders become financial contributors through taxation, rather than being dependant on benefits. They will be able to contribute to the economy rather than be a drain on it.
It costs an average of £37,000pa to keep someone in prison. The national cost of re-offending is currently £16 Billion a year. (Source: MOJ June 2019). By any calculation, £16,000,000,000 is many times the cost of rehabilitating and supporting people to stop them wanting to (or thinking they need to), reoffend.
Allowing people in prison to begin to rebuild their lives having learnt from their crimes, or to begin to build a crime-free life for the first time, will save society many multiples of what it would cost.
Phil Martin - Please Contact Ex-seed™ with feedback, questions and comments.