Prisoners: Employment Schemes

Securing employment is a key factor in reducing reoffending with evidence showing that finding work can reduce the likelihood of reoffending by 9 percentage points. Open prisons play a key role in supporting this as they enable suitable, risk-assessed prisoners to undertake work in the community, developing their skills and preparedness for release. The Government remains ambitious to increase the range and availability of employment opportunities for prisoners in open prisons.

Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL) is an important rehabilitative tool that allows eligible prisoners to take up employment outside the prison, where they are paid at normal market rates and gain valuable work experience. In addition, prison industries and workshops provide paid work opportunities within prisons enabling prisoners to build work-ready skills and gain work experience in a variety of sectors. For example, HMP Leyhill, a Category D open prison, which is close to the member’s constituency, offers prison work in print, woodwork, prison laundries, and land-based activities.

This is supported by New Futures Network, the prison service’s specialist employment team, which works proactively with employers to source employment opportunities on release, as well as jobs and training in custody, including in open prisons. Each prison is also supported by a dedicated employment lead and a regional employment advisory board, which brings together local employers to increase access to jobs and strengthen links between prisons and the labour market. Prisoner apprenticeships which offer paid training with employment on completion have been available in open prisons since 2022 with successful completions in hospitality, warehousing and logistics.