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Reducing Unemployment within prison?


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Justice Secretary: 'I will make all lags do jobs in Jail

JUSTICE Secretary Ken Clarke is to enforce a get-tough prison revolution by forcing ALL lags to work while they're locked up.

The veteran Tory cabinet minister revealed the plan during a grilling by The Sun in a bid to prove he hasn't gone soft on criminals.

Under his proposals, prisoners will have to take up either training or jobs in new jail workshops and factories. If they refuse, they will lose their privileges.

The tough regime is being drawn up to give repeat offenders a work ethic - so they don't go back to a life of crime.

Ken, 70, provoked uproar two weeks ago when he suggested that prison was no longer working during his controversial first speech in the Lord Chancellor's job.

But he insisted last night that he is still in favour of most short-term sentences - and Lib Dem plans for the coalition to do away with them have been blocked.

Mr Clarke said he may not axe ANY prison places during bitter government spending cuts.

The Justice Secretary said: "A good percentage of prisoners must be made to do something more sensible in prison. Make them work, give them training - a template to make better people of them.

"The aim is to give these guys the idea that work is a normal part of life. If they wish to get out of going in and out of prison, they'd better get used to working.

"It will hopefully form part of our rehabilitation revolution to be published in the autumn."

Prisoners would get the minimum wage for their work - but it would be paid to them over a period of time AFTER their release.

Up to half of their earnings would go towards helping victims.

Currently work in prisons is voluntary and pays as little as £4 a week.

Plans to enforce work were drawn up by the last Tory government under PM John Major - but never implemented.

Mr Clarke explained: "We hope businesses will come in and invest.

"There is a certain amount you can do with supplying the Prison Service itself, with food and other things you can make. But it has to be lead by private industry.

"I'm not going to be paying them all the minimum wage out of my budget. If you don't work, you would face privilege reduction.

"Someone who is prepared to work an eight-hour day might attract other privileges."

But he added: "One thing we will be careful to do is not put rival businesses outside out of work."

Mr Clarke also wants to introduce tougher community sentences - that would be harder than life in prison and "tough enough to make a difference".

so lemmi get this straight, nigga's gonna break the law, get locked up, then be forced to do 9-5, and he's jus gonna comply?

and have half his earnings taken away

/

dnt get it twisted, the opportunity's good, rehab of offenders and all, but i think more could be done to make it appeal to offenders

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Brilliant idea, I've always thought people should do work while in prison

and I think its even better that they receive the money when they get out, rather than just working to earn their keep

HOWEVER this could turn sinister

if the private sector get involved, there maybe even more of an incentive to put people inside and turn it into some slave labour situation

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Brilliant idea, I've always thought people should do work while in prison

and I think its even better that they receive the money when they get out, rather than just working to earn their keep

HOWEVER this could turn sinister

if the private sector get involved, there maybe even more of an incentive to put people inside and turn it into some slave labour situation

i'd wana send the p home to my family, while i was still in, esp if i had kids.

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true but knowin you have money when u get out, however small will detract people from jumpin right back into a life of crime

cos we know they will have skills, so wil be more employable but they will not get a job straight away and employers are still not gna want to employ an ex con

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