The Work and Pensions Committee Committee is today publishing the
Government’s response to its report on the support for
ex-offenders leaving prison, which indicates that the Government
has accepted the case made for many of the Committee’s
recommendations and is looking for ways to take them forward,
including considering a range of ways to incentive employers to
take on ex-offenders leaving prison. The suggestion of offering
reduced National Insurance contributions to those employers is
particularly “noted with interest”.
The Committee warned that former prisoners trying to make a new
life for themselves “walk over a cliff edge” when they walk out
the prison door. Finding a home and a job are absolutely central
to preventing re-offending, which costs the criminal justice
system alone £15 billion a year, without factoring in the costs
of benefits, healthcare or the human costs of more crime.
Yet those leaving prison are often “turned out literally onto the
street with a £46 resettlement payment, weeks to wait for most
benefits and little meaningful help in or out of prison to make
the transition into work”, and may feel no alternative but to
return to crime.
•
On incentivising employers to hire ex-offenders – the Government
said it notes with interest the Committee’s recommendation to
reduce NI contributions for employers who actively hire
ex-offenders. MoJ is going to explore a range of options to
reward employers. The Ministry of Justice will also explore
options for promoting ‘ban the box’ (see note 2) across both the
public and private sectors.
•
The Government agrees with the committee’s recommendation that
Community Rehabilitation Companies should be required to track
the outcomes of the prisoners they resettle. The Government will
introduce enhanced measures of resettlement which include the
recording of employment at the start and end of the sentence and
at the end of the licence supervision period for any
offender.
•
The Government recognises that there are some gaps in the
knowledge and capability of Work Coaches with regard to the
particular needs of offenders and prison leavers. Officials are
looking at ways to train Work Coaches around issues of
disclosure.
•
It is disappointing that the Committee’s recommendations on
processing claims for Employment Support Allowance in prison and
payment of Universal Credit on day one of release have not been
accepted. It is encouraging, however, that the Government is
exploring options for making advanced claims for UC in
prison.
Rt Hon MP, Chair of the Committee,
said: “The Government’s response is generally very positive and
they are looking for ways to take forward many of our
recommendations. We have already welcomed the moves toward a
comprehensive strategy for those leaving prison. But if the
Justice Secretary is to get the numbers in prison down, the best
route is to prevent the high re-offending rates. Once the
Government adopts our Report in full it will have the basis of an
effective strategy to cut the supply route to re-offending. We
shall work with the Justice Secretary to this end.”
Notes:
2. The ‘"ban the box" recommendation proposes extending the
removal of the initial criminal record disclosure section on job
applications for the majority of civil service roles to all
public bodies, with exclusions only for roles where it would not
be appropriate. Ban the Box does not oblige employers to hire
ex-offenders but it increases the chance that they will consider
them. The Government should also consider a statutory "ban the
box" for all employers.
Committee Membership is as follows:
(Labour, Birkenhead) (Chair);
(Conservative, South
Cambridgeshire); (Scottish National Party,
Paisley and Renfrewshire South); Ms , (Labour, Westminster North);
, (Conservative, South
Suffolk); (Labour, (Bermondsey & Old
Southwark); (Conservative, Gloucester);
, (Conservative, Thornbury and
Yate); (Conservative, South
Thanet); (Labour, Birmingham Selly
Oak); , (Conservative, Southampton
Itchen)
