What's happening in UK prisons and reoffending right now

With stories of overcrowding, the government’s early release scheme and reoffending making headlines right now, the state of UK prisons is in the spotlight. Amid challenges, there are incredible opportunities to drive positive change within the system, particularly through social enterprises creating real impact. 

Let’s dive in to what’s happening and who’s driving meaningful change.

A crisis point for UK prisons

Prisons in the UK are running out of cells. According to the think tank Institute for Government, the prison population of England and Wales has doubled over the last 30 years with recent estimates putting the population at 87,000, up 13% in the last three years.

We also know the prison system has suffered at the hands of Covid-19, causing a backlog of cases in crown courts. The recent jailing of those involved in summer 2024’s far right riots no doubt added to the pressure on prison capacity.

At the same time, the prison system is feeling the strain of a staff shortage, which is taking its toll on the wellbeing of both prisoners and staff. Prisons in England were forced to run emergency “red regimes” 22 times in 2023 – when only a basic regime for prisoners is possible due to staff numbers falling below the minimum. Legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique writes “experts warned this was denying prisoners access to work, the library, rehabilitation or even meals.”

Under the leadership of Rishi Sunak, the British government introduced a number of emergency measures to ease this pressure, including delaying court hearings and using police cells as overflow capacity. 

More controversially, the government implemented an early-release scheme for some prisoners in England and Wales in September 2023. They must have served 40% of their prison time to be eligible, with government sources insisting those who have been convicted of serious violent offences or sexual offences will not be let out early.

“Given the crisis that the current government inherited and the lack of space, I think that there has to be a temporary early release scheme in some form,” explains Brian, Marketing Manager at Tap Social. “It really doesn’t amount to much more than a sticky plaster on the problem. It’s not a long term solution for crowding, in part because a lot of these people are going to bounce right back into prison due to a lack of support on release.” Systemic support is key for prison leavers to settle back into society and be a member of the community again. Without this, reoffending is inevitable.

The high cost of reoffending in the UK

The UK’s reoffending rates are among the highest in the western world. 46% of prisoners in England and Wales go on to commit another crime within one year of being released. This poses a huge cost on society – an estimated £4.5 billion every year on the Treasury.

The stat also reveals the lack of rehabilitation and support for ex-offenders to choose a better path, once they’ve served their sentence. Some social enterprises are stepping in to fill this gap. 

How social enterprises drive change for ex-offenders

Redemption Roasters: brewing second chances

Social enterprise Redemption Roasters has been addressing these issues since 2016, harnessing coffee as a means to reduce reoffending rates and strengthen rehabilitation for prisoners. 

Founder Max Dubiel (pictured above left next to co-founder Ted) knows that rehabilitation and training for prisoners during their sentence is key to supporting their livelihoods and wellbeing once released. Only 36% of prisoners manage to find work within two years of leaving prison. But if they do find employment, they are 50% less likely to return to prison.

So Redemption Roasters creates employment opportunities via its roastery and barista training programme within HMP The Mount. The programme has been changing the lives of prisoners for more than four years, providing them with core skills for the world of work once released. 

Head Roaster Dom (pictured below) says: “As challenging as the environment can be, it is also immensely rewarding. I especially like the fact that we offer a true ‘through the gates’ package, from training students to a SCA standard whilst in prison, to offering employment, support and potential work upon release. A personal highlight was hearing one of my students, who had passed with a distinction, talk honestly about how he cannot wait to be released because for the first time he genuinely believes he has the skills to turn his life around.”

The social enterprise has scaled up massively since its inception, highlighting the success of their social impact, the power of their business model and its necessity in today’s climate. Redemption Roasters now has 11 coffee shops across London and plans to open a further 16 sites in the capital by 2026. To date, prison leavers make up 23% of the company’s retail workforce. 

Yet HM Prison Service recently revoked its contract, leaving Redemption Roasters needing to find a new site by February 2025.

Co-founder Ted Rosner tells us: “This decision is inconsistent with the principles of the new Prisons Minister, James Timpson and his vision for a justice system rooted in rehabilitation and opportunity. We publicly announced this matter to bring it to the attention of Ministry of Justice leadership, with whom we maintain a valued partnership.”

“If a new prison roastery site is not identified, all Redemption’s coffee production will move to commercial premises outside of prison by February 2025, where job opportunities will be available for prison leavers.”

Tap Social: reducing reoffending rates through craft beer

With a similar ethos, Oxford-based social enterprise brewery Tap Social is doing its bit to create a more inclusive labour market, employing people in or after prison. Co-founded by two former Ministry of Justice advisers, Amy Taylor and Paul Humpherson, the organisation has so far created more than 85,000 hours of paid employment for prisoners on day release and prison leavers.

The positive impact of their work comes across loud and clear in their stats: just 6% of the 50 prison leavers taken on by Tap Social since 2016 go on to reoffend within the 12 months post-release. For context, co-founder Paul explains that the “national average re-conviction rate sits between 38-63% within one year of release, costing the taxpayer around £19bn annually.” 

It’s simple as to how Tap Social have reduced this rate so successfully: “Having stable employment is proven to have a major impact on reducing reoffending, yet less than 20% of prison leavers have a job one year post-release,” Paul continues. “This is why we believe that businesses, both SMEs and larger corporate employers, can really help to make the country a fairer and safer place by participating in second-chance employment initiatives and rolling out more inclusive recruitment practices (such as the national ‘ban the box’ campaign [which calls to remove the tick-box about past convictions from job applications]).”

Grace Chocolates: supporting women who’ve touched the Scottish criminal justice system

Also focused on enhancing employability opportunities, training and development is Grace Chocolates. Founded by Joyce Murray, now under the steer of new CEO, Louise Humpington, the social enterprise supports women in the Scottish criminal justice system, many of whom have experienced abuse and subsequent substance abuse issues. 

Sales of Grace Chocolates directly fund the Making Positive Changes Programme, which supports these women on a path of personal development, learning and economic wellbeing. 

Of the women they support, Louise says: “Their goal might be reuniting with their children, building up their self-esteem, overcoming substance abuse, healing from past traumas, reintegrating back into society, or avoiding reoffending. Whatever their circumstances it is crucial that our women feel supported not judged, encouraged not criticised, and empowered not undermined.”

The Glasshouse: using horticulture to plant seeds of change

Botanical social enterprise The Glasshouse, founded by Kali Hamerton-Stove and Melissa Murdoch, runs off of formerly disused glasshouses at HMP East Sutton Park in Kent. They transformed these into spaces for learning and personal development, where women ex-offenders train for a Level 2 RHS horticulture qualification. 

Kali says: “The cycle of reoffending can be broken by building skills and self-belief through training and employment, alongside resettlement support.” The stats are impressive. All graduates have embarked on paid employment or further training within six weeks with a 0% reoffending rate.  Buying house plants grown in the prison glasshouses directly contributes to funding the programme.

What role can corporate business play in ex-offender rehabilitation?

It’s clear that social enterprises can be part of the solution. They’ve paved the way for innovative, supportive and impactful programmes for prison leavers in the UK. But the involvement of bigger businesses and corporations is crucial to scaling these efforts. 

“There is a huge amount of talent and skill to be found in prison that is wasted because of the stigma that remains attached to people who have spent time in custody” explains Kate Muller, Volunteering and Partnerships Manager at Trailblazers – a charity that mentors young offenders in the UK. “In much of the experience we have had with businesses, there is typically an openness and desire to employ people with lived experience but often a lack of confidence and knowledge in how to go about actually implementing this.” 

Supporters of the ‘ban the box’ campaign, Kate goes on to say: “[It] removes an initial barrier to employment and provides a first step for companies to become more inclusive in their recruitment and employment practices.” The vision is to see the tickbox to disclose previous convictions removed. This gives both applicant and potential employer the opportunity to have an open and measured conversation about any criminal convictions further down the line. 

KPMG UK’s New Futures Programme is an inspiring example of how corporate responsibility can lead the way in inclusive hiring for ex-offenders. By offering prison leavers permanent employment, KPMG is not only helping individuals reintegrate but also challenging the wider business community to follow suit. Their collaboration with the Ministry of Justice shows how public-private partnerships can create sustainable pathways to employment for ex-offenders.

Service retailer Timpson is one of the largest employers of ex-offenders in the UK. But they also employ serving prisoners. Around 12% of Timpson’s employees – across 2,076 branches – have a criminal conviction or have been recruited from custody.

“Return on temporary license (ROTL), or day release, is the safest way to reintegrate somebody back into society following a long prison sentence. Because you think about the alternative — after years in prison, they open the door, get pushed out and they’re pretty much on their own. Whereas we provide them with a safe working environment, and an opportunity just to get back up to speed with life,” says Darren Burns, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, who was recruited directly from custody.

The company has set up replica stores in a number of prisons so inmates can gain hands-on job experience in a real-life setting. Clearly their efforts are paying off, with a whopping 75% ex-offender retention rate.

The challenges facing the UK prison system – overcrowding, staff shortages, and high reoffending rates – highlight the need for fresh approaches to rehabilitation and reintegration. Social enterprises prove that directly addressing the issue with creative solutions can reduce reoffending rates and support prison leavers in building better futures. 

It’s more important than ever for large-scale companies to get involved too. Social enterprises offer a solid way forward, and it’s time for more businesses to take their lead.

Want to do your bit? Speak to us about bringing coffee, plants and more impact-led products into your workplace to help bring down reoffending rates.