While we welcome the ambition for Government to ‘repair the justice system’ and look at alternatives to custody, we know prisons remain under significant pressure and one of the root causes is the high level of reoffending[1].
However, the evidence also shows that supporting someone into meaningful employment and helping them to thrive on the other side of the gate, significantly reduces the risk of reoffending and being sent back inside.
Only A Pavement Away works with hotels, pubs, restaurants and bars to help its members, who are people looking for work but are at disadvantage through circumstance, to develop confidence and skills to re-enter the workplace.
It’s not rocket science
It’s extraordinary that society expects prison leavers, with just £82.39[2] in their pocket, to find somewhere to sleep, stay warm, buy food and travel to job interviews.
We know it can often take at least six weeks for additional financial support to come through – and it’s not rocket science that people are at risk of ending up on the street or reoffending if they can’t earn money to survive.
I’m not saying rehabilitating people back into the community and into work is easy, especially in the current trading environment, but if a business is committed to delivering social value as part of its ESG agenda then supporting people back into work should be on its radar.
Motivated and trustworthy
Through our work with fantastic operators across the hospitality industry such as Burger & Lobster, Greene King, Gaucho and Hilton, we are confident with the right support, the industry can bring in and develop hard-working and loyal people from this talent pool.
In fact, research from the New Futures Network found more than 90% of businesses employing prison leavers reported they are motivated and trustworthy.
It means our members are prime candidates to plug skills gaps[3], the hospitality sector can find and retain the talent it needs, and we contribute to reducing a societal issue.
[1] The reoffending rate for adults released from sentences of less than 12 months was 56.1%, and 59.4% for those released from sentences of less than or equal to 6 months.
[2] Prison Discharge Grant
[3] New Futures Network