Leaders from big-name firms such as Lotus Cars and Sodexo will
chair new Employment Advisory Boards which are being rolled out
across the prison estate following a successful trial.
The boards act as a link between jails and employers, making sure
that offenders use their time in prison to gain the skills and
links to job opportunities they need to head straight into stable
work upon release.
This is crucial in tackling the £18 billion cost of reoffending,
cutting crime and boosting public protection, as ex-offenders in
steady jobs within 6 months of leaving prison are nine percentage
points less likely to commit further crime.
Employment Advisory Boards have already been established in 20
prisons, and will be up and running in all 91 ‘resettlement’
prisons in England and Wales by April 2023.
Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor
, said:
Getting prison leavers into work is a formula that works. It
reduces the chance of reoffending – cutting crime and making the
public safer.
It’s a true win-win, allowing us to boost public protection and
save the taxpayer money, while providing the reliable staff
businesses need to drive the British economy.
In a survey, 90 per cent of employers who have taken on
ex-offenders say they are “motivated, reliable, good at their job
and trustworthy”.
Employment Advisory Boards are chaired by business experts from
companies such as performance car manufacturer Lotus,
construction firm Murphy Group and business services provider
Sodexo. They work with prisons to ensure they understand what
employers want so offenders have the right skills and links to
job opportunities on release.
This ensures training programmes and prison workshops are geared
to local employment needs and that offenders can access a vibrant
business network as they prepare for release.
The Deputy Prime Minister visited HMP Wandsworth this week to
meet the prison’s deputy governor, Mia Motter, business leaders
and prisoners benefitting from the unique initiative.
The prison’s employment board launched last May, and is chaired
by Rosie Brown, chief executive of awarding-winning, ready-meal
company, COOK. The board is supported by business experts from
international real estate and investment group LendLease and
prisoner employment charity StandOut.
The board was the brainchild of James Timpson, chief executive of
the Timpson Group. HMP Wandsworth launched its Employment
Advisory Board in June, 2021 and since then, 98 prisoners have
worked with the service, 76 have received job offers and 33 are
successfully in a job.
Rosie Brown, chair of HMP Wandsworth’s Employment Advisory Board
and co-chief executive officer of COOK, said:
I am proud to work for a company that has a long track record of
supporting prison leavers into employment and I know from
personnel experience that some of our best and most loyal
employees have criminal records – that’s not an obstacle to
succeeding in life.
Bringing our expertise to HMP Wandsworth has been an excellent
experience and I am delighted that Employment Advisory Boards are
being rolled out to 91 prisons across the country.
As part of the Prisons White Paper published last December, the
Government has committed to investing £200 million per year by
2023 on reducing reoffending, including on prison leaver
employment schemes. Initiatives to be funded include the roll out
of prison employment leads to all resettlement prisons who will
work closely with the specialist employment team in Her Majesty’s
Prison and Probation Service, the New Futures Network.
Notes to editors
- The Prisons White
Paper was published in December 2021 as part of the
Government’s strategy for reducing reoffending by increasing
employment rates among ex-offenders.
-
Employment
reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up
to nine percentage points.
- An employer
survey revealed that employers believe the
ex-offenders they employ are “motivated, reliable, good at
their job and trustworthy”.
-
New Futures
Network already supports more than 400 businesses to
work with prisons and probation staff to match serving and
former prisoners with jobs.
