Security Firm Urges Business To Hire Inmates

The world's biggest security firm has urged companies to overcome their "prejudices" and consider offering work to prisoners.

G4S, which is Britain's biggest provider of private jails, has launched a campaign to promote the benefits of employing prisoners during their sentence.

The company said businesses should be open to growth opportunities from being involved with offenders, after research showed most firms had "little appetite" to include anyone serving a jail term.

"We are extremely supportive of the Government's initiative to reduce reoffending and make prisons places of work," director Richard Morris said.

"We have pioneered the concept of working prisons and have seen how engendering a work ethic with prisoners equips them with the attitude, training and skills to play a meaningful role in the communities on release.

"We understand what needs to be done to ensure that working prisons create working people who will be less likely to reoffend.

"Our own research demonstrates little appetite by the business community to even consider getting involved with those within the secure estate.

"This attitude represents a significant barrier to bringing about the rehabilitation revolution, and we must all play our part to change it."

From April G4S will be managing six prisons across England and Wales, but the firm also provides security for banks, airports and concerts.

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said: "I am determined to turn our prisons into places of hard work and reform, so that prisoners are doing something productive, instead of doing nothing."

He gave the example of inmates at Altcourse Prison near Liverpool who work 40 hours per week in a metal workshop to make office furniture.

"It's a proper, profitable business. Part of their earnings goes to fund services for victims of crime and because these prisoners have got some skills, they are less likely to return to prison," Mr Clarke added.

"I want to see hard work flourishing in every single jail in the UK. I believe that if we want prison to work, then our prisoners have got to be working and I call on businesses to get involved."

Currently only 36% of ex-convicts leave prison with training or a job, which contributes to the reoffending rate, according to the campaign group Prison Reforms Trust.

However, the call to hire prisoners comes at a time when unemployment in Britain has hit a 15-year high.

Rory Geoghegan, a research fellow at the Policy Exchange, said prison work should be commercial and profit-driven, suggesting the minimum wage be set at £3.10 per hour to account for the reduced costs of living that are already met by the prison service.

"This prevents the local labour market from being undercut and provides pay at a level that allows for deductions for tax, to compensate victims, and savings pots for offenders to use to pay for housing on release," he added.