Commenting on the appointment of James Timpson as Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, Working Chance Chief Executive Natasha Finlayson said:
‘James Timpson’s appointment as prisons minister is very welcome indeed. Appointing someone with a long track record of prison reform and of employing people with convictions, who is passionate about the issue, makes huge sense. Too often ministers are appointed without relevant expertise and with little enthusiasm for their brief and are moved on to another department just when they start to get to grips with the issues.
James Timpson’s eight years as Chair of the Prison Reform Trust is every bit as important as his impressive record as a trailblazer in the employment of people leaving prison. It means that he has a deep grasp of why and how the UK prison system is at breaking point and what the solutions are.
The proposed early release scheme which would see some prisoners released after serving 40% of their sentence would buy valuable time for the new government to refurbish those prisons that need it, to evaluate whether new prisons are actually needed and to formulate new approaches to sentencing. James Timpson understands that sentencing reform is the key to tackling the prisons crisis in the longer term and we would urge him to be radical in this, particularly with sentencing for women and young people.
Natasha FinlaysonJames Timpson understands that sentencing reform is the key to tackling the prisons crisis in the longer term and we would urge him to be radical in this, particularly with sentencing for women and young people.
Chief Executive, Working Chance
His starting position should be that most women in prison should not be there, and that pregnant women should never be sent to prison. We are very encouraged that James Timpson has expressed his admiration for the Netherlands criminal justice system, where community sentences, suspended sentences and curfews are widely used and the prison population has reduced by around 20,000 in the last two decades with no increase in crime rates, while the number of people in prison in the UK has increased.
We know from our 15 years of supporting women with convictions into employment, that employment is one of the key drivers in preventing reoffending and transforming lives. Employment changes the way these women view their own worth and helps them to feel like a useful part of society, rather than being excluded, stigmatised and judged long after they have served their sentence. Timpsons are one of the many employers we work with and we are delighted that they are now looking to bring more women with convictions into their workforce, in addition to the men they recruit directly from prison.
Natasha FinlaysonEmployment changes the way these women view their own worth and helps them to feel like a useful part of society, rather than being excluded, stigmatised and judged long after they have served their sentence.
Chief Executive, Working Chance
We know that James Timpson understands that prevention, diversion and rehabilitation should be guiding principles at the heart of the criminal justice system and we are excited to see what he can achieve in this important role.’
For more information please contact Lizzy Jewell lizzy@workingchance.org