Key statistics

Social Exclusion/Disadvantage

Prisoners are thirteen times as likely to have been in care as a child, thirteen times as likely to be unemployed, ten times as likely to have been a regular truant (Reducing Re-offending by ex-prisoners, Social Exclusion Unit, July 2002, p8)

Many prisoners have poor skills and little experience of employment, few positive social networks, severe housing problems, and all of this is often severely complicated by drug, alcohol and mental health problems. (Reducing Re-offending by ex-prisoners, Social Exclusion Unit, July 2002, p8)

Re-offending

There is now considerable evidence of the factors that influence re-offending. Building on criminological and social research, the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) has identified nine key factors:
_ education;
_ employment;
_ drug and alcohol misuse;
_ mental and physical health;
_ attitudes and self-control;
_ institutionalisation and life-skills;
_ housing;
_ financial support and debt; and
_ family networks.
(Reducing Re-offending by ex-prisoners, Social Exclusion Unit, July 2002, p8)

Costs of re-offending

Estimated annual costs of re-offending – £11billion (Home Office)

Annual cost of convicting someone and keeping them in prison for one year - £126,500 (Home Office)

Re-offending rate – 55.5% in a two year period from a cohort measured from 2004 (Home Office, 2007).  The re-offending rate has decreased since 2000.

Theft and burglary are the crimes most common in re-offending (Home Office, 2007).

Figures have shown those originally convicted of theft re-offend the most swiftly (Home Office, 2007).

Re-offending rates are highest amongst those sentenced for less than one year.

Employment

Around 67% of prisoners have no job when sent to prison. This lack of stability is an important factor in offending, and prison exacerbates the problem. Stable employment reduces re-offending by 30 – 50%. (Social Exclusion Unit report Reducing Re-offending 2002)

20% of the working population in the UK has committed an offence (Home Office Offenders Index), meaning that employers are probably already unknowingly employing ex-offenders.

Employment - impact on offenders:

A study of over 1,000 offenders on probation found that only 21% were in employment compared to 60% of the general population (Mair and May1997). 

Ex-prisoners comprise 2-3% of the average monthly inflow into the unemployment pool (Fletcher 1998).

Numerous studies have suggested that employment has a direct positive impact on lowering rates of re-offending.  Other factors such as age, marital status and the role of bringing up children also played a role (CIPD)

Employment - impact on employers:

Around half of employers (51%) in a survey of 474 confirmed that they have already knowingly recruited an ex-offender (CIPD 2007)

The voluntary sector (75%) has the greatest involvement in employing ex-offenders, followed by the public sector (71%) and the private sector (34%) (CIPD 2007)

One fifth of organisations surveyed with experience of employing ex-offenders replied that their experience had been “better than expected” with this being most common in the private sector.  Most commonly, 79% say their experience was no different to other employees (CIPD 2007)

A survey of employers has shown that they would be most concerned about employing someone with a history of sexual offences, followed by fraud and violent offences (CIPD 2007).  Sexual offences are rare (1.5% of indictable offences in 2005).

It is more difficult for ex-offenders to gain employment whilst they are still on licence or recently released.  In a survey, only 14% of ex-offenders in employment were employed within two years of leaving prison (CIPD 2007)

Three quarters of employers surveyed stated that having the relevant skills would encourage them to employ an ex-offender – 51% said evidence of courses and skills obtained during sentence would have the most impact (CIPD 2007)

65% of organisations who had experience of employing ex-offenders said that it had a positive impact on their corporate reputation (CIPD 2007)

Accommodation

30% of prisoners are homeless when they enter prison, a further 30% lose their home during their sentence (Social Exclusion Unit, 2002)

A survey across the UK of 1,534 homeless people showed 19% are ex-offenders and 91% of these homeless ex-offenders had a substance misuse problem (St Mungo’s, 2004)

Re-offending rates can be reduced by 20% if stable accommodation is provided upon release (Social Exclusion Unit)

Skills

Offenders gaining oral communication skills were 50% less likely to re-offend in the year after release than the national average.(Bercow Review, 2008, p43)

Children and families

210,000 children and young people pass through the Criminal Justice System each year, who may benefit from preventative approaches which ensure early identification and support for children who are recognised as vulnerable and at risk of offending.(Bercow Review, 2008,p43)