231 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
231 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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politics
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conservative
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8045140
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-----
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# Conservative party Conference: prison jobs 'could put law-abiding workers on
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the dole'
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## Kenneth Clarke's plans to make criminals work full-time in jail could cost
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law-abiding citizens jobs, prison governors have suggested.
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![][1]
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Justice Minister Ken Clarke makes sure nobody misses the point during his
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speech to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham Photo: REUTERS
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James Kirkup, Political Correspondent 7:00AM BST 06 Oct 2010
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Mr Clarke, the Justice Secretary, yesterday defended his plans to expand paid
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work schemes for prisoners and raise their wages as a cost-effective way to
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rehabilitation.
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He told the Conservative Party conference that making prisoners work a 40-hour
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week behind bars, sometimes for private companies, would help offenders
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develop the skills and attitudes required to go straight on release.
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"If we want to reduce the crimes these people will commit when they get out,
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and boost the amount we can provide for victim support, we need as many
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prisoners as possible to work hard for regular working hours," he said.
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"We have to try to get those people who have the backbone to go straight. To
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handle a life without crime when they have finished their punishment."
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Conservative members applauded Mr Clarke's plans.
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06 Oct 2010
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The Prison Governors' Association raised a string of questions about the plan,
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particularly the impact on employment opportunities for the wider population
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at a time of economic uncertainty.
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The association said: "Is it right at a time of economic crisis that prisoners
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should be taking work from those law-abiding citizens many of whom are losing
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their livelihoods?"
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The governors also questioned the ability of many prisoners to carry out the
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meaningful work that Mr Clarke is advocating.
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Prisoners were "generally reluctant to engage in meaningful work," the
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governors said.
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"Many suffer from the influence of years of substance misuse or mental health
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problems, both of which severely impact on the delivery of quality work."
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They also said that two thirds of all prisoners were unemployed before being
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jailed, half had no qualifications and more than a third had very limited
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literacy.
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The association also warned that a 40-hour work week would mean prisoners
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spending more time out of their cells, requiring more staff to supervise them.
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Mr Clarke tried to allay Conservative fears about his plans to send fewer
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criminals to jail, insisting the Coalition's policy is being driven by Tory
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values and not those of the Liberal Democrats.
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The Justice Secretary has rejected the idea that "prison works". He has
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promised a "rehabilitation revolution" that puts more emphasis on reforming
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offenders through non-custodial sentences.
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party-Conference-prison-jobs-could-put-law-abiding-workers-on-the-dole.html
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