The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced it is rolling out a new programme to help inmates find work in 37 new prisons – with analysis finding reoffending costs taxpayers £24billion a year
DWP support will be rolled out to 37 more prisons, the government has announced
Thousands of prisoners will get work coaches in a bid to tackle the reoffending crisis costing taxpayers an estimated £24billion a year.
The move will see 37 new prisons get enhanced support for inmates, helping them find a job when they leave. It comes after polling showed most voters believe rehabilitation behind bars is not working – meaning many are in and out of prison for years.
Prisons minister Catherine McKinnell told The Mirror the move will give people “a real chance to turn their lives around”. She said: “Prisons must be a place of punishment and rehabilitation. An important part of this is supporting prison leavers into work because a steady job cuts the risk of them reoffending, returning to prison and that means fewer victims and safer communities.
“With this additional support, we are giving people a real chance to turn their lives around while also helping to cut the £24billion that reoffending costs taxpayers every year.”
It comes after a report by Community trade union and Serco found 55% of voters think rehabilitation needs to be fixed, more than the 46% who favour longer sentences.
The document called for prisoners to get a legal entitlement to rehabilitation behind bars – and for cuts to education funding to be reversed.
Polling seen by The Mirror shows 55% of adults want rehabilitation fixed – more than the 46% who think sentences should be longer, and 36% who think prison life should be harder. A poll of 1,999 adults by PF Global found 85% agree that a prison sentence should be both a punishment and a means of rehabilitation.
The new step by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) follows a pilot already operating in 47 prisons.
Employment minister Andrew Western said: “We know that having a job dramatically reduces the chances of someone returning to crime.
“That’s why we’re making sure thousands more prison leavers get support from the moment they walk out of the prison gate, helping them find work, earn a wage and build a better future.”
One prison work coach, Ali, said: “I’ve seen first-hand the difference employment can make to someone’s life after prison.
“Having support in place from the moment someone is released helps them focus on the future, take positive steps towards work, and start on a route away from reoffending.”
Vocational courses, including the Future Skills Programme, are also planned, the DWP said. This includes guaranteed interviews for prisoners approaching release and an expansion of the prisoner apprenticeship programme.
Analysis published last year by Crest (Insights) Advisory found the cost of reoffending has risen by a third in the past decade, reaching £23.6billion per year in England and Wales.
This is nearly half the annual cost of law-breaking, estimated to be £46.8billion. Around 9% of criminals are responsible for half of crime, the consultancy firm – which specialises in crime and justice – found.
The DWP said that 4,161 prisoners participated in the pilot.
