Better employment opportunities for ex-offenders, even with more on the streets

As we head close the book on 2024, it’s fair to say there were seismic changes in the UK in the past year. The Labour landslide of July and public attitudes in December show that a lot can happen in a very short space of time.

While there have been many significant changes to public policy from the government, I would make the argument that none were more impactful in practice and in the court of public opinion, than the Early Prisoner Release Scheme.

The policy has seen more than 3100 prisoners released early since September - over 1000 per month. The main reasons given for implementing the policy were to battle the horrendously overcrowded prisons in the UK. This problem had many knock-on effects including the delays and cancellations of criminal proceedings across the country’s courts.

As you may expect, it has been much maligned by many. As proponents of second chances for ex-offenders, we at FPH supported the idea while calling on the government to ensure more accessible housing and employment opportunities were available to those released.

New government data has offered optimistic surprise on the latter point. Even with thousands more ex-offenders on the streets, a higher proportion are more likely to gain employment within 6 months of release. As of March 2023, Ministry of Justice guidance for employing prisoners and ex-offenders stated only 17% of ex-offenders managed to gain employment within a year. Somewhat confusingly, government statistics from December 2023 showed 26% of prisoners were able to find employment within six months of release. Either way, neither make for great reading. However, as of this month, over 31% of offenders were getting jobs within six months.

Firstly, this is obviously a positive sign. Conventional thinking may lead you to believe that more offenders on the streets would lead to higher numbers struggling to find employment, but the data suggests otherwise. According to Sky News, around a quarter of the UK working population has a criminal record. If 25% of the population find themselves without employment, the biggest loser is the UK economy and prions would continue to be overcrowded due to intentional re-offending.

Many should be commended for the rise in employability. While you were doing your Christmas shopping, many of your local high-street mainstays are in-fact the business committed to hiring previously convicted criminals.  

Greggs, Pret-a-Manger, Oliver Bonas, Greene King Pubs, Co-op and Iceland are all prominent business’ who have made the promise.

Key-cutter and repair shop Timpson is particularly invested in hiring ex-offenders. James Timpson, Chief Executive of the company, has been a prominent advocate for the rehabilitation of prisoners. The company has committed to this endeavor since 2002 and over 10% of their total workforce were previously incarcerated. Timpson has said the UK is “addicted” to punishment and imprisonment and recently stated his belief that only one third of prisoners should be there. It is no surprise to see why he was named Prisons Minister two months before the Early Release scheme was implemented.

In a recent interview with Mollie Malone, Terry Schwartz, one of the many ex-offenders working at Timpson, said he felt there was an “invisible stigma” when applying for jobs. Schwarz said he applied to over 300 roles and that working at Timpson allowed him to fix small problems for people, which improved his mental health. Darren Burns, who manages UK recruitment for the business, said the difficulty ex-offenders face in finding employment is due to the ignorant perceptions among employers and members of the public. It is good to see companies echoing the sentiments of many who advocate for second chances.

Importantly, it should be noted that employment prospects for convicts aren’t limited to high-street retail. There are opportunities for people in other sectors. Under the New Futures Network (NFN), implemented in 2023 by the Tories, prisons can help arrange interviews for serving prisoners before they are released. Under the NFN, over 400 businesses and government departments are providing employment opportunities to serving prisoners within industries workshops, Release on Temporary License placements and employment of prison leavers.

Furthermore, global professional services business KPMG has committed to improving employment opportunities in 2024. As one of the “Big Four”, the company has worldwide influence across a multitude of sectors. It is fair to say they are one of the most influential businesses in the world. Under their 2024 pilot programme, the firm has become the first white-collar company to hire ex-offenders through a government partnership, complementing broader initiatives to provide training for inmates while they are still in prison.

Jon Holt, UK Chief Executive, said: “Our longstanding focus on social mobility is about giving everyone – regardless of their background – the chance to succeed. I believe reformed prison leavers should be no exception.”

There are plenty of positives to take away from this quote and the wider issue discussed in the blog. One thing I feel compelled to say is that both parties deserve credit for the improvements in employability of prisoners. This blog has not hesitated to criticise both parties but many of the agreements and pledges discussed have occurred in the last year, when both parties have held power. Hopefully, more cross-party work can be achieved on some of our other areas of focus, as the results speak for themselves.