Get out of jail and get into business

Small Business Minister Nigel Griffiths has launched new funding for two projects designed to give offenders and ex-offenders the opportunity to support themselves by developing enterprise skills and setting themselves up in business.

The £1.8 million boost from the DTI's Small Business Service (SBS) is part of a cross-government effort to bridge the gap between prison life and a positive life on the outside.

It is the latest initiative from the Government to encourage what it perceives to be under-represented groups into enterprise. Past funding has focused on women, ethnic minorities and inner-city areas.

This initiative builds on a statement by Home Office Minister Paul Goggins which outlines the Government's commitment to reducing re-offending by giving more offenders a second chance through self-employment.

The SBS has approved two projects for Phoenix Fund support, designed to support enterprise in disadvantaged and under-represented communities. They are:

• Business in Prisons, a project within the women's estate of 18 prisons and a further 17 male prisons, run by the Dukeries Training Agency.
  
• In Credit, a Stevenage-based initiative to establish a network for women recently released from prison and wanting to set up their own enterprises.

Announcing the funding, Nigel Griffiths said: "The costs of re-offending to society and to victims are enormous. For a significant number of offenders and ex-offenders, self employment is the best way out of the cycle of re-offending. That's why I'm glad that the SBS is backing projects like 'Business in Prisons' and 'in credit'.

"Recent research shows that being in employment reduces the risk of re-offending by between a third and a half. I'm determined to see Government support helping prisoners develop the basic skills they need. By giving them sound support and advice to build on their own imaginative ideas we can benefit offenders, their communities, victims and society."

Unlocking potential

The SBS has also today published a new booklet, 'Unlocking Potential', which highlights the current provision for enterprise available in a number of prisons. It highlights the different approaches that prisons and their governors have taken to enable offenders to develop the business skills needed to become self-employed and provides case studies from all over the country.

'Unlocking potential' is available online:

here