06.03.12
Prisoners straight into work programme
Ex-offenders who claim jobseekers allowance will be immediately referred to the Government’s Work Programme, and employers will be paid for the number of criminals they employ, it has been announced.
These measures are aimed at reducing reoffending rates and helping integrate people with criminal records back into work, employment minister Chris Grayling stated.
Jobcentre Plus staff will process benefit claims in prison to speed up referral to the Work Programme, instead of the current pause while an ex-offender could be on benefits for 9 to 12 months before referral.
The payment-by-results initiative means that employers will be paid £5,600 for each ex-offender they manage to place and keep in work for over two years. At the moment, a third of jobseekers allowance claimants have criminal records and nearly three quarters of offenders claim out-of-work benefit within two years of leaving prison.
Grayling said: “Getting former offenders into work is absolutely crucial to tackling our crime challenge. The rate of reoffending inBritainis far too high, and we have to reduce it. In the past we just sent people out onto the same streets where they offended in the first place with virtually no money and very little support.”
Prisons minister Crispin Blunt said: “Getting ex-prisoners into work at the earliest opportunity will help them stop reoffending.
“Referring offenders to the Work Programme straight from custody will ensure that they get help and support to find work as they leave custody, when they are currently most likely to start reoffending.”
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