Helping offenders back into the community

Cutting crime does not just mean being tough on criminals, though that is sometimes called for: but it also means helping former offenders to go straight after they have paid their debt to society.

Those who break the law must be dealt with - but after they have served the punishments decided by the courts it is important to help them get back into society and earn an honest living in the future.

So it is a good thing that figures published today show that thousands of offenders are finding jobs, helping to protect communities by cutting reoffending and boosting the economy.

  • Reoffending costs our economy £18 billion every year and we know that ex-prisoners who have the security which a job brings are less likely to reoffend. 
  • The government launched Employment Advisory Boards, to link businesses with prisoners and to provide skills for former offenders. Since that policy was introduced,  4,000 ex-offenders have been helped into work and the number of former offenders in work six weeks after release has increased by nearly half. Greggs, TalkTalk, and Lotus Cars are participating to help break the cycle of reoffending.
  • The government is now on track to roll out Employment Advisory Boards to all 91 ‘resettlement’ prisons by spring 2023 – getting more offenders into work than ever before, cutting crime, and making our streets safer. 

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