Rehabilitation of Prisoners Will Work but Train Them First
Let Me Out But Train Me First
Training Makes The Difference
In the UK we are all acutely aware of the discussion going on about prison sentences and what should be done with offenders.
Currently we have some 80,000 prisoners and each costs some £40,000 per annum to keep incarcerated and the re-offending level is around the 55% depending on whose figures you use.
The re-offending rate has risen as the prison population has risen and there are many statistics out there to show that and depending on which newspaper report you wish to use plus Google has it all available online.
My contention is that there are 4 categories of people in prison who each have differing aspirations or should be dealt with differently when it comes to a Rehabilitation Training Programme.
1) There are those who can be rehabilitated and trained as they want to make the effort.
2) There are those that should be rehabilitated and trained but need help and encouragement.
3) There are those who cannot be rehabilitated and trained as they won't make the effort.
4) There are those who should not be rehabilitated and trained as their crimes are too heinous to even contemplate this as they do not deserve any form of redemption,
So out of the c80,000 prisoners costing £40,000 approx. per year per prisoner it may well be possible to cut that in half by giving those in the first 2 categories above the right training in literacy, numeracy and skills training, and this would also mean the re-offending rate would be cut dramatically.
The saving to society could be as high as £1.6 billion and more importantly once rehabilitated when trained these ex prisoners would then contribute to society with skills and taxes and the will to re-establish themselves in society with positive contributions.
All in all it would be a win win situation and society, in the way of business, would have to be amenable to accepting ex prisoners as employees although many could set themselves up in business with their new found skills.
Putting the above game plan into action will take time and the will to do so but it will make a huge difference.
