help offenders find work

Work and desistance

Everyone knows that finding work is a key component to going straight; a factor which is confirmed by the evidence base. There are four key reasons why employment promotes desistance:

1. An individual can fill their time constructively and become economically independent.
2. Employment facilitates reintegration into the wider society by helping individuals to move away from criminal networks and develop social relationships with a wide range of people.
3. Being in paid employment enhances individuals’ self-esteem and helps them to build a renewed and positive sense of self, which helps to protect against a return to crime.
4. The status of being an employed person acts as an important symbol to the individual of their ability to return successfully to a conventional life.

This fact is, of course, acknowledged by government and helping prisoners find employment (and encouraging employers to take them on) is a key part of the prison reform project. Indeed, the Justice Data Lab is now able to analyse both reoffending and employment outcomes.

However, finding work with a criminal record is no easy task. So, I have put together this resource page which lists some of the main organisations which can help. The list has been kind assembled by social employment experts Offploy and features organisations who provide employment services for people with convictions on a regional or national basis. There are many other local organisations which can help and if you are currently a person on probation, then your probation officer will be best informed about local services.

The list is organised on a geographical basis.

Helping Organisations

England

Break Through – “Effective support for prison leavers” Telephone: 07598232646

Clean Sheet – Charity dedicated to help people with convictions find jobs 03001233045

Ex-Seed – employment agency and recruitment network getting jobs for people with criminal records, Online enquiry form only

The Forward Trust – has a list of specialist employment services

Only A Pavement Away Jobs Board Jobs board for anyone who is homeless or at risk of being homeless

St Giles Trust – a range of employment support for people with convictions

Working Chance – employment charity solely for women with convictions

The North East

Junction 42 – a range of services to help people with convictions become more employable

Oswin Project helps people with criminal records to find employment, training and support 

The Recruitment Junction – recruitment charity, placing people with convictions into sustainable paid work.

The North West

Apex Trust – offers a tailored service to people with convictions looking for work. Telephone: 01744612898

Step Together –  helps people with convictions in the Greater Manchester area. Telephone: 0117 955 9042

Yorkshire & Humber

Clean Slate Solutions – helping people with convictions into jobs in Teesside & North Yorkshire. Telephone
01642 989649 

Tempus Novo – helping people with convictions into jobs. Telephone: 0113 2032817

London

Bounce Back provides training both in prison and on release for people wanting to work in construction

Radical Recruit is a specialist recruitment consultancy keen to ensure that employers consider the untapped talent of people with convictions  

The Midlands

New Leaf Initiative  helps people with convictions with construction training 

Scotland

Apex Scotland – helps people with convictions into jobs in Grampian and the Highlands.

The Wise Group – helps people find work by boosting their skills in West Scotland

Wales

Inside Out Support Wales  provides a range of employment, training and support services to people with convictions.