Reading Prison scheme gets TV debate nod

Adam Hewitt • Published 16 Apr 2010 16:00 Comments 1 Comment

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A HUGELY successful training scheme which has slashed prisoner reoffending rates by fixing them up with jobs got a prominent mention during last night's party leaders' TV debate.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown refererred to the Reading Prison scheme in the debate as an example of practical anti-crime action.

He said: "At Reading Prison, we've been working at this young offenders' institution with companies, and where people are in this institution, they've been trained for jobs that they can get if they don't reoffend and they go out and actually do a decent job. Now, there's been a 75% success in this project, so you can bring the reoffending rate down."

The Chronicle visited Reading Prison in 2008 to hear more about the National Grid Transco Training Scheme, which began there in 2001 and after three years of success was exported to other prisons across the South East.

As of 2008, reoffending rates stood at just 7% for former prisoners who had completed the scheme, compared to the national average of 70%.

National Grid spokeswoman Sarah Harris said today: "We have now trained in the region of 1,300 young offenders and the re-offending rate for the programme still stands at 7%. This compares to a national average of over 70%.

"The programme, which continues to work with 22 prisons and 80 companies, trains prisoners who are nearing the end of the sentence and provides a job as soon as they are released."

Dr Mary Harris, who runs the scheme, said in 2008 that Reading Prison "is really in a class of its own" and that prisoners ended up completely job-ready.

National Grid chairman Sir John Parker said: "The cost of crime to the taxpayer is over £235,000 for every person who returns to prison. National Grid and our partner companies are saving the community £17.4m for every 100 offenders helped by the programme."

- The polls and pundits say that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg won last night's debate. What did you think? Leave your comments below or email ahewitt@berksmedia.co.uk

For more election news and candidate profiles, see www.readingchronicle.co.uk/election2010

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Apr 16, 17:19
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susie
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Apr 17, 12:34
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nick clegg gets my vote. I was going to vote tory because I'm sick of gordon brown, but I don't really like them. Lib dems it is!

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