Birmingham jail inmates given unemployment pay

Mar 7 2010 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

“It is Prison Service policy that those who participate in work and training should receive a token payment.

“This encourages constructive participation in the prison regime and prepares offenders for lawful employment and lives away from crime after release.

“Prisoners who are willing to work but are unable to do so because no work is available receive a small unemployment payment of about £2.50 per week.

“Prisoners on short-term sick leave will receive a weekly minimum payment of £2.50 per week, while those on long-term sick or retirement age receive £3.25 per week.”

But the unemployment payments were blasted as “unbelievable” by Fiona McEvoy, West Midlands spokeswoman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance.

“This is hugely offensive to taxpayers and those who are genuinely unemployed through no fault of their own,” she said.

“It’s quite unbelievable that criminals who are already supported with public money are entitled to extra cash.

“If the system is so easy to exploit then it’s obviously very flawed.

“It’s just a shame that while ordinary, law-abiding, families are struggling to make ends meet, they’re also having to shell out pocket money for prison inmates.”

In July 2008 the Sunday Mercury revealed that prisoners receive holiday cash for not working on Bank Holidays and during religious festivals.

Inmates are also entitled to take time off from their prison jobs for personal visits – while still getting full wages.

Violent thugs who misbehave and end up in solitary confinement are entitled to any lost wages, if later found not guilty of the offence that landed them in solitary.

Shadow Justice Minister Nick Herbert condemned the pay scheme saying: “Prisoners shouldn’t get a handout for doing nothing.”