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HM PUBLIC SECTOR PRISON INDUSTRIES

There are 130 public sector prisons based throughout England and Wales, many of whom have industrial workshops and facilities that cover a wide variety of work across a range of technologies and industry sectors. The spectrum covers: -

• Contract service work such as the assembly of electronic/electrical products, furniture, packaging/mailing, wheelchair refurbishment and simple assembly. In fact, anything that is labour intensive.

• At the other end of the spectrum, we have well equipped production workshops covering:

• engineering
• woodwork
• plastics
• printing
• data entry
• clothing and other textile goods
• recycling
• office furniture manufacture
• desktop publishing

 

All industrial units are professionally managed by qualified staff supported bt trained technical staff. Much of this work aims to provide goods for internal use within the Prison Service but we are always looking to maximise the use of our capacity.

Prison Industries are not looking to take work away from your existing workforce. Our aim is to develop partnerships, and through the provision of work for prisoners, teach them the skills that meet the labour shortage in the marketplace, and therefore, enhance their job opportunities on release. Where successful, this can contribute to reducing future offending and increased public protection as well as reducing the costs of crime to society.

A relationship with Prison Industries will help to increase your capacity to take on larger contracts, or, enable you to make use of your workforce in other more productive ways. There are also opportunities for partners to place capital plant and equipment and their own staff into prison workshops. The benefits of this are twofold, in that overheads are reduced, and the work is carried out to your exacting standards by utilising your own supervisory staff.

What can we offer?

There are a wide range of opportunities including:

• a range of well equipped industrial units that can used to manufacture or assemble a wide range of products or goods
• services such as printing, data processing, laundries, contract services and recycling
• staff with considerable skills in setting up and operating these facilities, who are always ready to offer help and advice
• a commitment to quality and delivery to agreed deadlines
• flexibility to meet your needs. For example, fitting into your production schedule or shortening your supply chain and lead time by replacing work that might currently be being done abroad

How would it work?

We want setting up a partnership with the prison service to be as easy and beneficial as possible. The first step is to contact us where one of our team is waiting to:

• discuss specific requirements in order to meet your needs
• arrange a visit to a potential establishment to discuss your requirements
• arrange a contract between your company and the Prison Service, amounting to a lasting undertaking on both sides, ensuring a mutual commitment to the partnership
• agree the supervision and management process

Why do we want to form this type of partnership?

We want to introduce prisoners to productive, commercial working methods with a very high standard of training so that:

• prisoners can experience regular working practices before they are released, offering them a better chance of successfully holding down a job upon release from prison so as to be able to support themselves and their families without committing more offences
• prisoners will learn new skills and the work ethic
• prisoners are better prepared and qualified to seek meaningful employment upon release from prison
• revenue generated by these partnerships contributes to the cost of running a prison and reduces the burden on the taxpayer

Want to know more?

Then e-mail lance.harris@hmps.gsi.gov.uk or norma.mcloughlin@hmps.gsi.gov.uk or phone 020 8760 1725/1783