By Tony O’Riley-
Scottish prisons are to receive enhanced employment support in a bid to reduce re-offending rates.
The Scottish government has created a scheme to help prisoners back into work when they come out and also to ensure those in receipt of benefits can immediately claim those benefits.
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A spokesperson for the DWP told The Eye Of Media.Com that its a pilot scheme only for Scotland at the moment.
”Hopefully it will eventually be rolled out to the rest of the Uk. Under the scheme, help is provided to help criminals start finding work to prevent them going back into a cycle of crime since they need money after release. Each prisoner is allocated a work coach who prepares them for life outside prison”.
Minister for Welfare Delivery, Will Quince (pictured)will be visiting HM Prison Barlinnie, which is the latest prison to take part in a scheme where those close to release are to be offered dedicated work coaches.
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Help is provided to help criminals to start finding work to prevent them going back into a life of crime since they need money after release. Other prisons that have trialled the scheme include Cornton Vale and HM Prison Perth since September.
The trial at HM Prison Barlinnie will be further enhanced, as it will include prisoners being given access to a new dedicated telephone line. Unemployed prisoners will be able to make their Universal Credit claim over the telephone, with their identification being verified before they leave prison.
Waiting to receive payments following release from prison can be very frustrating , leaving ex convicts in a state of despair which can make them more vulnerable to committing crime. This scheme seeks to secure financial access for prisoners as soon as they leave prison.
”The prisoners have supervised access to computers and are guided to make all the necessary applications they need to make before they are released;;, the spokesperson added.
The Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) say that 131 DWP Prison Work Coaches across Great Britain work with local partners and employers to help secure training, work experience and employment opportunities for prisoners.
PRIORITISED
Under the scheme, ex-offenders are prioritised for access to Alternative Payments in Universal Credit, including benefit payments paid more frequently than monthly and housing costs will be paid direct to the landlord in most cases.
Prisoners who are serving short-term sentences, or are on remand in custody, are able to retain support with housing costs to safeguard their tenancy and prevent them from becoming homeless on release.
In addition, those receiving full service Universal Credit can choose whether they want to be paid twice monthly, and they have the option to have the housing element of their Universal Credit award paid directly to their landlords.
Will Quince, Minister for Welfare Delivery, said:
”Better preparing prisoners for life on the outside helps them unlock employment opportunities once they’re released.
Without access to work or money, some can feel pushed to re-offend, and this pilot aims to take prisoners out of the cycle of crime and get them into work. This has benefits for both them and the wider economy.
Working together with the Scottish Prison Service, the UK government is determined to ensure ex-offenders stay out of prison for good.
Jobcentre staff will support prisoners to obtain identification documents, prepare their CVs and identify training, work experience and other employment support.
They will be given help to fill in their benefit claims through restricted and supervised access to computers, and to the dedicated phone line where those eligible will be able to arrange a payment on the day of their release.
Currently, prisoners at HM Prison Barlinnie are unable to start a Universal Credit claim until they are released, and this can lead to delays in receiving support if they do not have proper identification documents, or are unable to get to the jobcentre to verify their identity.
Failure to find work is one of the biggest drivers of re-offending. Recent statistics show that in Scotland, one in four ex-offenders were re-convicted within 12 months of being released.
Almost 250,000 people in Scotland are receiving Universal Credit, which includes tailored employment support. It is helping record numbers of people into work, with on average 1,000 more people in the UK going into work every day since 2010.
In Scotland there are 2.65 million people employed, which is up 18,000 on the qu
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