Should ex-prisoners be given more money?

Prisoners are to receive extra financial help on leaving jail in a government drive to reduce re-offending.

Prisoners' rent would be paid for six months so they could keep their homes and they would be given £100 on release according to previous leaked details of a study by the social exclusion unit (SEU).

No cash amounts are mentioned in the final report published on Monday, prompting reform campaigners to say that ministers are backtracking on the plans because of press criticism.

Unemployment and homelessness are the basic causes of re-offending says the SEU, and prisoners made homeless as a consequence of their sentences are six times more likely to re-offend.

What's your reaction? Should prisoners' rent be paid by the government? Will financial support break the cycle of re-offending?

---

This debate is now closed. See below for a selection of your comments.

---

This government loves throwing around money to everyone except the law abiding British citizens who really deserve it

Samantha, UK

The government spends enough money on benefits of all kinds so no one in this country should have to commit crimes in order to live. The people who commit crimes are in my opinion evil people who don't care about others and if prison doesn't teach them a lesson first time round they should be thrown right back for as long as it takes. This government just loves throwing around money to everyone except the law abiding British citizens who really deserve it!
Samantha, UK

If £100 was put in my hand as I left prison, it would see me through for about two days. What a complete waste of money.
Neil, UK

The majority of Britons seem to disagree with their government, particularly on issues like this. The fault lies with the government and not with the voices of its people. The people in power seem out of step with British society. But then again, I do not live in Britain and may be a poor judge.
Scott, USA

There is a longstanding fundamental principle in UK law that people should not benefit from their crimes. How does this policy fit with that?
Bernard, UK

NO! This sickens me; it shows that crime does pay. If they go to prison then they should lose everything! 54 charities for criminals and only one, yes one for victims of crime in this country; that says it all.
Stephen, GB

How can anyone rationally object to this? It is in our interests that ex-prisoners should become productive members of society. Taking some sort of moral high ground and saying we should do nothing for them is short-sighted and self-defeating.
Graeme Smyth, US/UK

Ah ah ah! This could only happen in Britain... priceless!
Andy, England

I've decided to pack in my job and become a criminal

Matt, UK

This is a great idea! I've decided to pack in my job and become a criminal. I assume that there will be an incentive scheme put in place whereby the more times I re-offend, the bigger the payouts will become. Hurrah for Labour, and their ability to promote enterprise and initiative!
Matt, UK

Give them more money to get them started, by all means. Then, when they get jobs, take 2% of extra tax straight out of their salaries and channel the money to their victims as compensation.
Michael Entill, UK

In my line of work I deal with people daily who are in danger of losing their homes. Obviously in some cases this is through poor money management and living beyond their means, although a lot more cases are simply down to their inability to support a family on one wage. Why should prisoners be given special treatment when I'm sure some of their victims would view this as part of their punishment?
Craig, UK

What about giving more to pensioners, many of whom fought for the privileges we have now? This government has its priorities completely wrong.
Emma, UK

It makes perfect sense for the public purse

K Sadler, UK

The proposed payments are tiny, £100 for the first two weeks' freedom until they can claim benefit and rent for six months which I imagine would average about £3,000. Put that against the cost of another court appearance (£15,000+) or another custodial sentence (£20,000+) and while it sounds odd to give money to convicted offenders, it makes perfect sense for the public purse. And it might just give prisoners the chance to sort themselves out.
K Sadler, UK

There are more deserving people for this money. Why should I fund those who can't be bothered or care so little for their community? Criminals are wasteful selfish individuals and should be treated with the contempt they deserve by the society that they torment. Perhaps we can swap some of them for useful immigrants that want to play a rightful part in our society?
Phillip Holley, UK

Will victims of crime have their full medical and housing costs met whilst they take time off work to recover?
Phil, Wales, UK

Prisoners should be offered productive work in prisons, and then paid for it at a rate below the minimum wage. I'd suggest sorting garbage for recycling, an otherwise profitless enterprise. Their earnings should go into a savings account and paid to them in increments upon release.
Mark M Newdick, US/UK

They must be laughing all the way to their next break-in

Andrew H, England

Now I KNOW this government is barmy. This is our tax that is being spent on these ne'er do wells. They must be laughing all the way to their next break-in.
Andrew H, England

I agree with this scheme totally, as prisoners all deserve somewhere to live and a chance to get back into work. However it should also apply to those of us who have been made redundant, as because I was under 25 I was not legible for my rent being paid in full (it wasn't excessive either) and was made homeless. I almost turned to crime to pay off the debts! The government needs to tackle poverty properly full stop, for both offenders and non-offenders, then we will see a reduction in crime.
Paul, Stafford, UK

It all comes down to what you view as most important, punishment or prevention of further crime. It's a bitter pill, but helping our "enemies" might just help us all. I am not some limp liberal, but someone who would prefer to reduce the numbers than see those caught punished to the extreme.
Matt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (ex-UK)

I would pay more tax to fund a tougher prison regime

Jon Cooper, UK

Most people work hard all day to try and pay the mortgage, have never committed a crime in their lives and don't expect any free handouts form the government. What kind of comment on society is it when we reward criminality like this? What message does it send to our children? I would be happy to pay more tax to fund a tougher prison regime with longer sentences and the removal of all the ridiculous privileges that the rest of us have to pay for. This makes me so angry, and I suspect I am in a huge majority.
Jon Cooper, UK

As much as I hate the thought of giving money to these people, it seems obvious that they are going to re-offend quickly if they are just dumped penniless on the street. I don't see that we have any choice, other than to put them all into half-way houses, which would cost a good deal more.
Andy Clapham, UK

How about all prisoners do government-sponsored work?

Tom, UK

How about all prisoners do government-sponsored work for three to six months when they get out? They could clean streets or work on environmental projects. This would help to rehabilitate them back into society, pay them a small but liveable wage and pay something back to society as well. Far better than handouts in my view.
Tom, UK

Yes, it is a good idea to help get prisoners back on their feet... BUT they must sign claw back documents which allow the money to be returned to taxpayers once employment is regained. Incredibly simple and fair.
Chris Snell, UK

Will this be a once-only deal? Or will the payments be made every time an offender is jailed? Also, if ex-offenders have little resources and little chance of a job, how will they pay reparations to victims?
Mark, UK

What happened to personal responsibility?

Wendy, UK

If I let my child run wild, ignore his truancy and bad behaviour, turn a blind eye when he commits criminal acts and gets sent to prison, society will kindly educate, feed, clothe and now PAY him to re-establish himself in society in the optimistic hope that he will change his ways and become a good citizen? What happened to personal responsibility?
Wendy, UK

It's all very well saying "whatever happened to personal responsibility" and calling for "a tougher prison regime with longer sentences" when the fact is that crime is committed by people with no personal responsibility or who genuinely believe that they're not going to get caught, never mind those who are driven by the desperation of poverty or drug addiction. Prison as a straightforward punishment just doesn't work and all tougher sentences will do is breed more hardened criminals, determined not to get caught next time. If a scheme such as this helps only a few ex-prisoners stay straight, then it'll more than offset what it would cost to lock them up yet again.
Steve, UK

The great irony is that most people offend from deprived areas and poverty. If the vast cost of keeping these people in prison was pumped into their drug treatment/ residential area/ investment in jobs then we would have far fewer prisoners and much fewer problems in society. Capitalism is indeed, madness personified.
Simon Soaper, England

Prisoners already get too much in my view. They play tennis, study for degrees and don't even get me started on the drug taking and other illegal activities that occur within prisons. Lock them up, bring back hard labour and if (and only if) after all this they are deemed fit to be released back into society, then let them out. The underlying problem with this country is that criminals do not fear the justice system enough!
Anon, UK

A mark of a civilised society is the civilised treatment/rehabilitation of its prisoners. A country that abuses its convicts or has a prison system that is purely retributive usually abuses its free citizens. This is something that is obviously lost on people like Anon, UK and his/her ilk.
John G, London, UK