Employers to receive £5600 for employing ex-prisoners

Employers are to be offered £5600 for employing an ex-prisoner for a period of two years. Up to 30,000 prisoners per year will be required to enter the Work Programme if they claim Jobseekers Allowance when leaving jail.

The announcement by Chris Grayling, Employment Minister, means that prisoners due for release will have their benefit claims processed before they leave jail and may receive support from employers prior to release. Currently, most claimants are not referred to the Work Programme until they have been on benefits for nine to 12 months and half of prisoners are still unemployed two years after release.

Grayling said: "Getting former offenders into work is absolutely crucial to tackling our crime challenge. The rate of reoffending in Britain is far too high and we have to reduce it."

Figures compiled by the two Departments for England and Wales, showed that one third of all of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) have criminal records, with 28% on Employment Support Allowance, the benefit for the sick and disabled.

Nearly three quarters of offenders claimed an out of work benefit within two years of leaving prison. A total of 30,000 former prisoners are claiming JSA within three months of leaving prison.

Government research shows offenders claiming JSA on release from prison in 2008 spent 40% more time on benefits over the next three years than the average claimant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17266825