Employers Reduce Crime through Employment

Almost 130 employers and partners heard about how employing ex-offenders can help reduce re-offending during a recent ëreducing crime through employmentí seminar and reception hosted by the Greater Manchester Employer Coalition (GMEC) and the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) on Monday 19th November 2007

The seminar showcased work taking place to help build stronger, safer and more economically healthy communities through the EXit to work programme. The programme works to get ex-offenders back into work by engaging with employers who can provide good job opportunities and careers which will help reduce re-offending.

John Hughes, Managing Director of Hughes Brothers Ltd takes a proactive role in employing ex-offenders, finding them to be long term, loyal and hardworking staff. John Hughes said: ìItís us as employers who really make a difference. We at Hughes Brothers Ltd decided to create a policy 7 years ago to help ex-offenders get back into work and it has worked really well for us. By engaging with the very communities that you live in, society gets better. We employ people who want a job.î John said of the EXit to Work event: ìThis seminar was really beneficial as it reinforced the need to help those furthest away from the labour market.î

There are currently more than 80,000 people in prison in the UK, It costs nearly 40,000 per annum to keep someone in prison. Processing someone through the judicial system and back into prison costs around 65,000 and re-offending currently costs Government 11bn each year.

Offender Scott Marsden will start work with Hughes Brother Ltd on his release from prison, he said at the event: ì Iím looking forward to being able to get into sustained employment and really make a positive change to my life. A seminar like this is really positive as people make mistakes. Itís up to employers to give them a second chance, like me. I made a mistake, no one made me commit a crime but itís up to me to earn a job, as I have done.î

The event was hosted by Caroline Roberts-Cherry Chair of GMEC and Editor for Entertainment at the BBC and Marie McLaughlin, Regional Strategy Manager for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Marie also highlighted the CIPD survey ìEmploying ex-offenders to capture talentî during her speech, reinforcing the key role of sustainable employment in reducing re-offending.