It's not what you are thinking btw. There are always stories of MPs ending up in prison, but today a group went there by their own volition as the UK Parliamentary Football Club visited Reading Young Offenders Prison for a couple of games of football against the inmates.
The MPs, and yours truly, were visiting to see the work of the National Grid Young Offenders Programme.
National Grid has been pioneering business involvement in the rehabilitation of offenders, training over 140 offenders in the workplace on day release schemes. (The re-offending rate amongst the people on these schemes is only 7%, resulting in a significant saving to taxpayers in the United Kingdom, compared with the national average of over 70%.)
Apparently it costs approximately £36,000 to keep a person in prison for one year and there are currently 11,000 under 21 years of age in prison. That is an incredible number. And for low level offenses it's important that these young people are educated, rehabilitated and have support to get them back into the workplace, making a positive contribution to society again.
Giving young offenders the chance to gain an educational qualification like this, with a guaranteed job on release, gives them an excellent opportunity to make a new start in life and put something back into the community. And massively reduces reoffending levels at the same time.
It was quite an eye-opening experience today and good to have the opportunity to talk to some of these young people and see the difference this programme is making to their lives - especially at restoring self esteem.
As for the football, the MPs won the first game (rather against the run of play) 3-2 and drew the second game 2-2.
I would say we got out of jail despite some criminal defending, but I'll resist the temptation. ;-)
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