The benefits of providing employment opportunities for prison leavers: Prison Employment Summit 2024

Prison leavers are people who have completed their sentences and are released from prison. Whatever the length of the sentence, they face many challenges and barriers to reintegrate into society, such as stigma, discrimination, lack of skills, education, and support.

One of the most crucial factors that can help them overcome these obstacles and reduce the risk of reoffending is employment. In addition to a source of income, employment can provide prison leavers with stability, structure, and social connections.

Prison leavers that obtain gainful employment are also less likely to reoffend and end up back in prison. Overpopulated prisons are a massive cause for concern at the moment, with some police stations having to make holding cells available to house offenders and even the justice secretary describing the situation as a “ticking timebomb.” It is in everyone’s interest to make sure that prison leavers have the best possible chance of staying out.

Prison Employment Summit June 2024

Comensura are passionate about helping prison leavers find meaningful employment and integrate back into society, which is why in June 2024 we were so excited to host a Prison Employment Summit, powered by Impellam Group and in partnership with New Futures Network, HMPPS’ dedicated employment team.

This event, held at Ministry of Justice HQ in London, was a unique opportunity to explore the untapped potential of prison leavers and how they can enrich the workforce. The summit featured real-life case studies from employers who have successfully integrated prison leavers into their teams, sharing the business benefits and lessons learned.

We had a wide range of experience on our panel consisting of Carl Hardwick OBE, Governor HMP Drake Hall, Alasdair Jackson OBE, CEO of Recycling Lives, Lucy Powell, Prison Employment Lead. HMP Drake Hall, as well as Hoa Ngo, Managing Director at Comensura and EAB Chair Drake Hall.

Feedback was incredibly positive. “A fantastic opportunity to mix with industry leaders and demystify what we do behind the walls of prisons. Hopefully, there is a greater appreciation of the rehabilitative journey and the talent that exists in prison that just needs untapping.” stated Carl Hardwick.

“The event provided the opportunity to share successes of prison leavers and the opportunities available within prison to support employment gaps in the community.” continued Lucy Powell

“Comensura has been pivotal in promoting employment opportunities for the women at HMP Drake Hall. We have been working in active partnership since 2022 with Comensura chairing our Employment Advisory Board, sharing their recruitment and industry expertise to bring a new dynamic to the way we work. As a result, through our shared advocacy, we have increased our reach to a wider range of prospective employers, produced a refreshed Employment Strategy and most importantly found meaningful work for our prison leavers. I look forward to developing the collaboration further!”

It was a massive success, with 91% of attendees stating they both feel more equipped to start internal conversations around hiring prison leavers, and that they would feel more confident about hiring people from this talent pool following this event.

Key takeaways from Prison Employment Summit 2024

Here are some of the main insights from the event:

Employment for prison leavers is a win-win for all.

Employment can provide prison leavers with a regular and legal source of income, which can help them meet their basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing, and transportation. This means they are less likely to reoffend and become a member of society positively contributing to the world around them.
For employers, prison leavers can offer valuable skills, talents, and experiences, filling skills gaps. Hiring prison leavers can improve retention rates and loyalty, as they often appreciate the opportunity and support that they receive from their employers and are less likely to leave for another job. Hiring prison leavers can also demonstrate commitment to social responsibility and diversity.

More and more employers are recruiting prison leavers.

In April 2021, less than 15% of prison leavers had found employment 6 months following their release. By March 2023, this number had increased to over 30%.

This includes big name employers like Kier, DHL, Green King, and the Civil Service. Companies and organisations are seeing the value in this increasingly explored pool of talent and making partnerships to grow their involvement.

Partnerships are essential.

New Futures Network is the specialist employment team in HMPPS and the brainchild of James Timpson, Chief Executive of Timpson Group. The Employment Advisory Boards are then partnerships between His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, New Futures Network and The Timpson Foundation.

They oversee the employment system for prison leavers and build partnerships with employers. Comensura – as part of Impellam Group - has been working with New Futures Network as well as with the prisons themselves to develop opportunities.

These opportunities include:

Prison industries: commercial workspaces in prisons.
Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL): risk assessed prisoners leave prison each day to work for employers in the community.
Employment on release: Businesses work with prisons, find talent, and offer employment to people at the end of their prison sentence.

By working with partners, you are able to address all concerns and utilise years of experience, learning lessons from previous partnerships and streamlining this new initiative.

Structure is key.

In feedback following the event, the key concerns and barriers stated by attendees were mainly around the importance of vetting, and how to improve internal procedures and buy in from the rest of the team.

Implementing this new initiative is going to need new processes in place to be efficient, and so establishing this initial structure will be vital.

Working with New Futures Network, prisons, and Comensura, these processes can be implemented, and the benefits of providing employment for prison leavers will become clearer, faster.

"We are proud to be part of this initiative that not only benefits our business, but also makes a positive difference in the lives of prison leavers and society as a whole," states Hoa Ngo, Managing Director of Comensura and Employment Advisory Board Chair at HMP Drake Hall.

"Hiring prison brings diversity, resilience, and loyalty to both our organisation and the employers that we work with, and we are proud to support them in their journey."

Caroline Harris, Ops Support Manager for John Lewis Magna Park is equally passionate about the work they do working with prison leavers.

“Not only is it the right thing to do for society, it’s the right thing to do for business and it fits into our Purpose of Working Together for a Happier World, where we can help to change lives!"

Interested in joining the growing number of businesses tapping into this talent pool and making a social impact?

If you’re interested in finding out more about providing meaningful employment for prison leavers, filling skills gaps and making a positive difference to lives across the UK - contact us for a discovery session.