Opened the debate
In my early years as a barrister, I encountered defendants with extensive criminal records who were familiar with the system. Many offenders lose family ties and jobs after imprisonment and return to crime without rehabilitation. Reoffending rates are high; one in two prison leavers reoffend within six months of release. Investing in education and work for prisoners is crucial. Mark's story highlights successful rehabilitation through Jericho House in Derby, now stable and employed post-release. Work improves prisoner behaviour, fills skills gaps, boosts the economy, and reduces reoffending rates.
Government Response
The Government recognise the importance of work in prisons as part of rehabilitation efforts. Under previous governments, prisoner participation in education and employment dropped sharply, leading to a crisis in many prisons where prisoners were locked up without meaningful activity for long periods. The Conservative Government made significant investments, including £15 million for body armour and Tasers to protect prison staff. Improving conditions and providing work opportunities can reduce violence and improve behaviour among prisoners. There are also initiatives like the Rebuilding Futures Alliance (RFA) that have shown impressive results in reducing reoffending rates through targeted employment programmes. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) on securing this important debate, and on her fine speech. Finding employment after release is one of the most effective ways to support rehabilitation and break the cycle of reoffending. The evidence is stark beyond argument that having a job reduces the likelihood of reoffending, and given that reoffending costs the taxpayer around £20 billion a year, getting prisoners and prison leavers working is the right thing to do, not only for individuals and communities, but for the public purse. As my hon. Friend has mentioned, we are debating the Sentencing Bill in Committee next week, and I hope that the whole House will support the Government’s agenda of tackling reoffending through that legislation. Delivering skills and work experience to prisoners is not always straightforward. It is right that I draw the House’s attention to a recent report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted, “Just Passing Time”. It sets out serious concerns about the quantity and quality of work, and attendance at work, in prison. The problem is difficult, especially in the context of the prisons capacity crisis that this Government inherited last summer, but that does not mean we should not strive to perform better. To understand the needs of prisoners properly, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is now making sure that every prisoner has an individual learning and work plan during their sentencing, focusing on their needs, which might include numeracy and literacy. The hon. Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) is a fine advocate on this issue; he is doing great work on it in a pilot project that applies across the country. We must ensure that qualifications to improve inmates’ job prospects, as well as work experience and vocational training, are built into sentencing. We have launched regional employment councils bringing together businesses, prisons, probation, and the Department for Work and Pensions. Apprenticeships are being extended across the prison estate from open to closed estates, with HMP Highpoint seeing five cohorts of prisoners beginning rail apprenticeships this year. New foundation apprenticeships available up to age 25 have been announced. Better careers advice in prisons is being provided through new national careers information, advice and guidance contracts starting April this year. Taken together, employment hubs, employer partnerships, vocational training, apprenticeships, and the Working Week project represent initiatives moving in the right direction but acknowledge that more work remains to be done.