How a country prevents the chances of reoffending after committing a crime serves as one of the most important intersections between ethics and policy; at an estimated economic and social cost for anticipating, responding. and dealing with the consequences of these crimes being around £18 billion a year, the importance of tackling this cannot be understated.

Imprisonment will remain as a punishment for those who clearly defy the law, yet neglecting offenders and treating them as if they are no longer part of wider society is simply unethical. It cannot be expected for those with criminal records to lead perfect lives without offering the support for them to get back on their feet. Part of this process, which cannot be understated, is that destigmatisation is essential. It is up to policymakers to make difficult decisions around rehabilitation in the name of both effective policy and upholding ethical standards.

Leaving prison in many countries is only the first punishment, as access to a significant number of opportunities at the end of their sentence will no longer exist. Anyone who has applied for a job in the UK will inevitably have to state whether or not they have had a criminal record in the very first stage of application. One charity, Unlock has helped to overcome this hurdle to employment to citizens with a criminal record via the ‘Ban the Box’ campaign. This campaign seeks to co-ordinate with employers to remove this feature on applications, thereby allowing previous offenders to apply with confidence. Although employers will become aware in later stages, such as in an interview where ex-offenders will be able to discuss their conviction, it will remove a very real barrier that has historically prevented them from participating in the workplace.

‘Ban the Box’ has already been well integrated within UK policy; the beginning of the Civil Service’s participation with the scheme in 2016 was a remarkable step in the right direction for rehabilitation. Implementing the cause into the public sector is an essential part of the campaign as it destigmatises the concept in a very top-down manner. ‘Ban the Box’ has claimed to have helped to open up over one million jobs to ex-offenders, with the aspiration to one day more than double that achievement.

The very nature of the topic of crime and rehabilitation can often attract some very unsympathetic opinions from the public, so it is essential to invite those without experience within the justice system into the conversation. A great recommendation for those looking to further explore the prison process, and to understand the lives of ex-offenders, is the Life After Prison podcast with Zak Addae-Kodua and Jules Rowan. The series shows a very different side to imprisonment that is not reflected in media, offering listeners a unique insight into the lives of people who although have criminal records, do not let that define their lives. Zak and Jules’ offer guests a judgement free space to understand why people committed their crimes, how it affected both their victims and their own lives, and the steps they have followed to ensure that it will never be repeated.

Despite government participation in the ‘Ban the Box’ campaign, there still remains a lack of enthusiasm to give the topic of rehabilitation the conversation it deserves. The work of Prison Reform Trust has been essential in bringing key issues within the prison system to light, and their ‘Prison: the facts’ series of reports remain as one of the most important pieces of resources in addressing this. One important statistic utilised in their reports is the rate of employment on release at both a 6 week and 6 month marl, which between April 2022 and March 2023 was raised to 19.4% and 30.4% respectively. These figures, whilst being a major improvement to previous post-covid levels, still illustrate just how disproportionately affected ex-offenders can be by their sentencing.

With a clear socioeconomic imperative to act on tackling reoffending specifically, policymakers should not be ignorant of further co-ordination with charities like the Prison Reform Trust that offer real, lived in experiences of members of the public that have already been affected by the criminal justice system. Neglecting the needs of ex-offenders after their sentence only serves to create an atmosphere of unforgiveness, and hopelessness rather than one where ex-offenders are able to live fulfilling lives that are overall more productive to wider society.

Related Blogs

• 

  Disinformation is threatening democracy and governments are only half listening

• 

  Let’s drop the obsession with net migration figures.

• 

  Growing up in front of a camera: The worrying trend of family influencers documenting every second of their children’s upbringings

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.