Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisoners: Retraining

Monday 14 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government are changing the law to allow serving prisoners close to release to start apprenticeships.
  • The aim is to help prisoners retrain and upskill to prepare for employment upon release.
  • Officials are working to remove barriers so that prisoners can have better opportunities to rebuild their lives post-release.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alexander Stafford
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

The question addresses the need for prisoners to be better prepared for employment upon release, focusing on reducing the risk of reoffending.

Question

What steps the Government are taking to help prisoners retrain and reduce the risk of reoffending.

Answer from Alex Burghart

The Government absolutely recognise the importance of preparing prisoners for employment upon their release. That is why we are, for the very first time, changing the law to enable serving prisoners who are close to release to start apprenticeships, helping them to retrain and upskill, and providing them with direct routes into jobs with businesses in their communities.

Answered
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Q2 Alexander Stafford
Justice & Courts
Context

The supplementary question builds on the initial query, seeking confirmation on whether these new training initiatives will effectively reduce recidivism rates.

Question

Retraining prisoners is vital for rehabilitation. Does my hon. Friend expect these welcome plans for prisoner retraining to reduce reoffending, leading to a safer society for all of us? Will these plans be under way as soon as possible so that we can all start to see the benefits immediately?

Answer from Alex Burghart

I can absolutely give my hon. Friend that reassurance. Officials in the Department for Education are working at pace with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice to make sure that we tear down the barriers so that people leaving prison can have had the best chance to rebuild their lives, earn money for themselves, and contribute to their communities. We expect to make progress on that this calendar year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific reduction in reoffending rates or timeline with concrete measures

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