Reducing re-offending in the North East

Reoffending is a costly burden on society but it can be significantly reduced if those who have served their time can find jobs.

The North East adult reoffending rate is the highest in England & Wales, at approximately 1.5 times the national average (STAT Source).

Richard Hutton, Greggs’ Finance Director, who led one of the visits, said:

“Having learnt what difference a steady job can make to an individual’s rehabilitation, I believe that tackling this issue can benefit the community as a whole.  Additionally, as employers we are overlooking a pool of valuable talent if we choose to ignore those who have served sentences. During our visit, we met a number of ex-offenders who genuinely want to work and make a positive contribution to society.”

The visit, which followed on from an earlier visit to Low Newton Womens’ Prison, Durham, in 2009, supported important progress on discussion around this agenda in the North East.

• The visit led by Greggs, which examined particularly the challenges facing those serving community sentences, was followed by:
• The creation of a group supported by BITC, through which business leaders have been able to share insights and best practice with peers.
• The development of a series of pre-employment workshops for individuals currently serving community supervision orders, in partnership with Northumbria Probation Trust.
• The visit led by Esh Group has led to the launch of a 14 week employability programme for young offenders in the last 16 weeks before release, delivered by  businesses who took part in the visit.

• Community Payback scheme at Newcastle Falcons
• Mobex, Newcastle
• Northumbria Probation Trust
• HM YOI Deerbolt