Published 2005 (ISBN 1 902488 84 9) Price £9.95
Currently, over 11,000 under 21 year olds are in prison at a cost to the taxpayer of £340 million. Over 70% re-offend within a year of their release. National Grid Transco has developed a unique scheme to train and employ young offenders as gas network operatives, and pioneered business involvement in the rehabilitation of offenders which meets both a business and social need. To date, National Grid Transco has trained over 140 offenders. A further 100 will have completed training and be in jobs by the end of 2005. The re-offending rate is currently only 7%. The Smith Institute is pleased to be publishing this review of National Grid Transco’s Young Offenders Programme, which has been prepared by the SMART Company. We hope that this excellent case study will contribute to the ongoing debate about the role that business can play in promoting public interest goals.