How we manage offenders

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Finance, benefit and debt

Ensuring ex-offenders have enough lawfully-obtained money to live on is key to their rehabilitation but many face significant problems achieving financial security.

Assessments for last year suggest over 23,000 offenders had financial problems linked to their offending.

Low incomes, debt, disrupted access to benefits advice and insufficient income on release from prison all add to the problem. 

How we aim to help ex-offenders overcome money issues:

• bridge the finance gap faced by ex-offenders on their release from prison
• improve joint working between Jobcentre Plus and NOMS with the development of an operating framework
• review the benefit rules for those released on temporary licence
• improve access to financial advice services for offenders in custody and in the community, and for their families
• address financial literacy for offenders.

Finance gap

As part of the FRESHSTART process, offenders typically have an interview with Jobcentre Plus arranged for the day after release from prison, to 'sign on' for jobseekers' allowance and to discuss job opportunities.

Guidance has also been issued to encourage Jobcentre Plus staff to place ex-prisoners on the first cycle for ‘signing on’ which will trigger an immediate part payment of the jobseekers' allowance.

Ministry of Justice and Department for Work and Pensions ministers are considering what further action could be taken to address the finance gap between release from prison until the first benefit payment.

Financial and advice services

Our aim is to ensure that offenders in custody and in the community have access to financial and advice services that will address money-related issues, maximising income and reducing debt to help prevent re-offending.

A key element of this work is to develop close partnership working between prison and probation services and providers who are willing to work with offenders.

The role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in providing these services is key to success, for example, UNLOCK is developing debt management training for ex-offenders, along with insurance and mortgage services for ex-offenders and their families.

In Kent, the Citizens Advice Offender Support Services project provides a holistic service for offenders needing specialist advice.

Early assessment of financial problems

Early assessment of financial problems is essential. A survey in one region (East Midlands) revealed significant gaps in provision of advice services, and a pilot service is currently being developed to provide specialist help to offenders via help surgeries in prisons and probation offices and through telephone support to complement existing services.

The training of prison and probation staff in the identification of money-related problems and how and where to signpost offenders to appropriate sources of help is needed in order to widen the potential routes into advice services that are available to offenders. A training package has been developed in the East Midlands region to address this and the region is also the first in the country to have electronic touch screen information points installed in its prisons, which will act as a gateway into a range of services available to prisoners.

Securing access to financial services such as bank accounts for offenders is also a key area of work for this pathway. A pilot is underway at HMPs Cookham Wood and Coldingley to encourage offenders to open bank accounts to enable their earnings whilst in custody to be saved. Part of this pilot includes training in how to manage a bank account and some debt advice.

Financial literacy

Helping offenders to manage their finances effectively and to increase their budget management skills is a key part of any drive to address financial issues.
 
The Skills for Life Strategy Unit in DfES works with the Basic Skills Agency on a variety of financial literacy programmes.

These are aimed at using personal finance as an effective context for motivating and supporting adults to improve their literacy and numeracy skills, while improving their ability to make informed financial decisions.

This follows the publication of the Adult Financial Literacy Advisory Group (AdFLAG) report in 2001, which highlighted that low levels of numeracy and literacy could be a determining factor in financial exclusion.