The Plainsman
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Prisoners may get "go straight" contracts
By Astrid Zweynert
LONDON (Reuters) - Prisoners leaving jail could be asked to sign "going straight" contracts to stop them committing more crimes, according to a new government report.
The idea would be to offer them a range of benefits on their release, such as housing credits, to tackle chronically high rates of re-offending. Ex-prisoners commit nearly one fifth of all crime at a cost of 11 billion pounds annually.
Opposition politicians denounced the proposals, put forward on Monday by the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU), as a kneejerk reaction.
"If this is (the government's) idea for a serious rehabilitative programme, they need to think again," said Oliver Letwin, the Conservative Party's home affairs spokesman.
"Getting people out of the cycle of crime will involve far more than just paying their rent," he said.
Official data in the report showed jail sentences have not succeeded in turning offenders away from crime, posing a challenge to Prime Minister Tony Blair's pledge to tackle the "revolving door syndrome" in the criminal justice system.
Re-offending accounts for an estimated one million crimes a year in Britain, or 18 percent of recorded crime.
The problem is most acute among male prisoners, with 72 percent of 18-20 year olds re-convicted within two years ofleaving prison and 47 percent receiving another jail sentence.
The SEU proposed prisoners should sign contracts on sentencing, promising future good behaviour in return for support and a range of benefits on their release.
The SEU, set up by Blair to tackle the growth of an underclass, said unemployment and homelessness were the root causes of re-offending, with many prisoners having experienced a lifetime of social exclusion.
One solution to combat homelessness would be to enable more prisoners to claim housing benefit to allow them to keep their homes while they are in jail, the report said.
"What this is really about is reducing re-offending, because you get too many cases of prisoners coming out of prison having served the sentence and then going straight back and committing crime," Cabinet Office Minister Barbara Roche said.
The report contained no details of specific cash amounts, prompting claims from campaigners that ministers were backtracking on plans for cash handouts.
Leaked details from early drafts of the report showed that the government intended to give prisoners 100 pounds on release and pay their rent for six months, according to media reports.
Mark Leech, founder of reform charity Unlock, said the ruling Labour Party's 1997 promise to be tough on the causes of crime meant nothing without figures.
"If they are going to help ex-offenders...let's have the figures, let's see what we're looking at, let's put the proposals on the table and let's see a government with the courage to deliver," he told the BBC.
Paul Cavadino, from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, said ex-offenders could not claim benefits until two weeks after their release.
"That greatly increases the chances they will go back to crime quickly because they have no money," said Cavadino.
By Astrid Zweynert
LONDON (Reuters) - Prisoners leaving jail could be asked to sign "going straight" contracts to stop them committing more crimes, according to a new government report.
The idea would be to offer them a range of benefits on their release, such as housing credits, to tackle chronically high rates of re-offending. Ex-prisoners commit nearly one fifth of all crime at a cost of 11 billion pounds annually.
Opposition politicians denounced the proposals, put forward on Monday by the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU), as a kneejerk reaction.
"If this is (the government's) idea for a serious rehabilitative programme, they need to think again," said Oliver Letwin, the Conservative Party's home affairs spokesman.
"Getting people out of the cycle of crime will involve far more than just paying their rent," he said.
Official data in the report showed jail sentences have not succeeded in turning offenders away from crime, posing a challenge to Prime Minister Tony Blair's pledge to tackle the "revolving door syndrome" in the criminal justice system.
Re-offending accounts for an estimated one million crimes a year in Britain, or 18 percent of recorded crime.
The problem is most acute among male prisoners, with 72 percent of 18-20 year olds re-convicted within two years ofleaving prison and 47 percent receiving another jail sentence.
The SEU proposed prisoners should sign contracts on sentencing, promising future good behaviour in return for support and a range of benefits on their release.
The SEU, set up by Blair to tackle the growth of an underclass, said unemployment and homelessness were the root causes of re-offending, with many prisoners having experienced a lifetime of social exclusion.
One solution to combat homelessness would be to enable more prisoners to claim housing benefit to allow them to keep their homes while they are in jail, the report said.
"What this is really about is reducing re-offending, because you get too many cases of prisoners coming out of prison having served the sentence and then going straight back and committing crime," Cabinet Office Minister Barbara Roche said.
The report contained no details of specific cash amounts, prompting claims from campaigners that ministers were backtracking on plans for cash handouts.
Leaked details from early drafts of the report showed that the government intended to give prisoners 100 pounds on release and pay their rent for six months, according to media reports.
Mark Leech, founder of reform charity Unlock, said the ruling Labour Party's 1997 promise to be tough on the causes of crime meant nothing without figures.
"If they are going to help ex-offenders...let's have the figures, let's see what we're looking at, let's put the proposals on the table and let's see a government with the courage to deliver," he told the BBC.
Paul Cavadino, from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, said ex-offenders could not claim benefits until two weeks after their release.
"That greatly increases the chances they will go back to crime quickly because they have no money," said Cavadino.
