Would you employ someone who has a criminal record? If the answer is "no", then you're in the majority. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that, of 755 employers surveyed, over half claimed that "nothing would persuade them to recruit ex-offenders". (If you have more than 20 staff, you may already have one on your payroll, as one third of all males over 30 have a criminal record.)
But employers could be missing out on a potential source of labour. Over 100,000 ex-prisoners join the job market each year, enough to plug the skills gap currently filled by migrant labour.
The Apex Trust works with employers to help ex-offenders obtain jobs and has an encouraging record of success. One example is the Umbrella Company in Sheffield. The firm employs 17 serving prisoners, who represent a third of its workforce. Paul Bimpson, operations director, says that the company couldn't run without them. "Like many small companies we have problems in recruiting and access to this source of labour has helped our business to grow."
Bimpson says the prisoners often have skill levels above those required for the job. "This does have the downside that they get bored easily. When they go back to the prison they're drugs-tested and are gated if found to be positive. That means we lose them and all the training is wasted."
This is just one of the potential problems and Godfrey Allen, chief executive of the Apex Trust, underlines that employing a serving or ex-offender is not to be taken lightly. Apex issues guidelines for prospective employers. "It's important to understand the circumstances of the crime," says Allen. "Did it happen recently or years ago? Did it happen when the individual was under pressure, has he demonstrated he has moved on and is sorry? If the individual hasn't re-offended for 25 years he's unlikely to do so tomorrow."
Of course, there are also legal considerations. For example, it is illegal to employ certain offenders in occupations involving children, vulnerable adults or the elderly, while there are legal constraints on employing those with motoring convictions as drivers.
Michael Howard, chair of Maris Interiors, believes that the business community could do more to improve the current situation, where nearly 60 per cent of prisoners are re-convicted within two years of leaving prison. He set up a Computer Aided Design training project at Aylesbury Prison for 12 young offenders a year and employs one participant annually on release.
He says: "I was disturbed at the high re-offending rates, which cost the country £11bn a year. A quarter of people currently in prison are young offenders, and by training them while they are still in prison we can offer them a chance to find a job upon release."
He has discovered that in these circumstances, an employer's responsibilities go beyond the usual remit. "We recently recruited a young ex-offender, and had to set up a bank account for him. A colleague and I are mentoring him and we meet every fortnight to help sort out any problems. In a way, I act as a father figure."
On the other side of the employment coin, starting up a business is equally problematical for ex-offenders. Since January 2005, the charity Start-Up has helped 42 ex-offenders to establish their own businesses, ranging from website design to gardening. It provides business planning support while the person is in prison; small direct grants and loans; a personal business mentor assigned to each client; and promotional business material. Start-Up relies on volunteers from business to provide expertise and mentoring. As chief executive Juliet Hope says: "As our clients walk into their house on release day their (the mentors') business cards are on the mat."
For Howard at Maris Interiors, his training project is one other firms could learn from. He is passionate that the business community should get more involved: "Providing training and employment can really help to make a difference."
Assessing the ex-offender
• Check any assessments and reports from agencies including the Probation Service
• Consider the seriousness of the offence and its relevance to the safety of other staff, customers, and clients
• Think about the length of time since the offence occurred
• Ask if the crime was a one-off or part of a history of offending
• Consider if the individual's circumstances have changed since the offence was committed
• Weigh up the degree of remorse, or otherwise, expressed by the applicant
Source: CIPD
