Offender rehabilitation drive boosted by new ROTL rules
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One year on from the launch of the prisons Education and Employment
Strategy, 230 additional businesses, including Pret A Manger and
Greene King, have joined the MoJ’s flagship offender work placement
scheme, the New Futures Network (NFN). One year since prison
Education and Employment Strategy, 230 additional businesses have
joined the New Futures...Request free
trial
One year on from the launch of the prisons Education and Employment Strategy, 230 additional businesses, including Pret A Manger and Greene King, have joined the MoJ’s flagship offender work placement scheme, the New Futures Network (NFN).
Also announced today is a change in rules to allow prison Governors greater autonomy to grant Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) to offenders following a rigorous risk assessment. This will allow them more opportunities to work and train with employers while serving their sentence and increase their chances of securing an immediate job on release. Research shows time spent working in the community before release significantly reduces a prisoner’s likelihood of reoffending – cutting the £15 billion cost to the taxpayer each year and helping to keep the public safer. Ex-offenders in employment are up to nine percentage points less likely to commit further crime. The drive to reduce reoffending through rehabilitation has worked alongside investment of hundreds of millions of pounds since the beginning of 2018 to increase stability in prisons – with latest statistics showing an 11% fall in violence in the last quarter of 2018 compared to the previous quarter. Earlier this month, the Justice Secretary announced a fundamental reform of the probation system to ensure that rehabilitation, support into work, treatment and housing is continued for ex-offenders when they leave prison. The changes to probation will also ensure that community sentences focused on security and rehabilitation and will enable a move away from ineffective short prison sentences – after which two thirds of offenders go on to commit more crime – and allow more effective treatment for issues such as addiction and mental health problems. As part of the wider drive to enhance rehabilitation, the Education and Employment Strategy, launched in May 2018, set out a series of measures to boost prisoners’ skills while in custody and improve their chances of securing work on release. One year on from this:
New polling from YouGov suggests that businesses are supportive of employing those with a criminal record:
Research shows time spent working in the community before release significantly reduces a prisoner’s likelihood of reoffending – cutting the £15 billion cost to the taxpayer each year and helping to keep the public safe. Ex-offenders in employment are up to nine percentage points less likely to commit further crime. Justice Secretary David Gauke said:
As part of the Education and Employment Strategy, prison Governors now have greater flexibility to get prisoners from open and women’s jails into the workplace. Offenders will now be eligible for paid work immediately after they have passed a tough risk assessment. Getting offenders into work earlier will boost their prospects of securing immediate work on release. Leading hospitality and hotel business Greene King has committed to employing 50 offenders by the end of 2019, working with prisons in the North West and London. Explaining how employing offenders through ROTL can benefit their business, Greene King’s Greg Sage, said:
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