British Labor Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is a former Crown Solicitor, who knows prisons and their prisoners. Given the overcrowding of the prisons, he decided to release the prisoners with lesser sentences to the streets. Many have nowhere to live or family to turn to. They live on the street.
One in four Britons of working age have a criminal record. Greene King and the bakery chain have joined a campaign to defend the idea that more of them should be hired in companies. Britain has a huge demand for labor after Brexit because foreigners left. There is a lack of hands in hotels, restaurants, cafes, kitchens, agriculture, fruit picking, nurses, nursing assistants, orderlies, hospital porters, among many other jobs.
Whether you buy a bun and sausage at Greggs, order a beer at a pub in Greene King or call to speak to Severn Trent, It is very likely that a former prisoner will attend to him.
Three companies with a social conscience
These three companies, along with Wincanton, the logistics provider, and Timpson, the key cutting specialist, have announced that they are joining forces with the charity ReGenerate to help more people with criminal records enter the workforce.
Together they will work on the charity’s Good Jobs Project. Its objective is to help address the problem of unemployment, the revolving door of recidivism and the “scandalous” £18bn annual cost of recidivism.
ReGenerate notes that nearly two-thirds of companies report having difficulty filling open positions. But more than half will not hire anyone who has been in prison. It claims that a third of companies refuse to hire anyone with a criminal record.
With approximately a quarter of the working-age population having a criminal record, this drastically reduces the job prospects of millions of people.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Keir Starmer, in London. Reuters Photo
The charity’s analysis suggests the economy is losing £11.5bn of revenueby excluding people with criminal records from work.
“This is not charity, it is business sense,” they maintain.
ReGenerate wants companies to change their approach. They highlight that 90 percent of employers who hire people with criminal records report high levels of competence, loyalty and retention.
A similar proportion says that “inclusive hiring” policies, which also include offering jobs to young people, have improved their reputation and helped them secure contracts.
Harry Brown, director of ReGenerate’s Good Jobs Project, said: “This is not about charity or corporate social responsibility. Purpose-driven recruiting makes business sense. “Employers who adopt inclusive hiring practices will be better equipped to meet their recruiting needs and improve their bottom lines.”
Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, which has been recruiting ex-offenders for more than a decade, echoed that sentiment. “Not only is it socially responsible, but it also improves our workforce. The passion and energy for work that comes from people who are given the opportunity to advance their careers or change their lives is evident to everyone,” he said.
“Helping our citizens return to work in a sustainable way has a hugely positive impact. Not only in the individual but also in our local communities, by helping to break the cycle of recidivism. “As a company, we are extremely motivated to do everything we can to give people a fresh start and we encourage other companies to do the same,” he explained.
They encourage more companies
A recent report from ReGenerate concluded that 83 percent of offenders were unemployed 12 months after leaving prison. The charity is urging the government to encourage more employers to hire people with criminal records, allowing those who do so a 12-month pause on national insurance contributions.
Darren Burns, director of the Timpson Foundation, said: “With prisons at 99 percent capacity, With the annual cost of a prison place rapidly exceeding £50,000 per prisoner, as well as the £18 billion annual cost to the taxpayer of reoffending, a radical and transformative approach is needed to address this social crisis. , economic and commercial.”
