Prisoners participating in hospitality training scheme 41% less likely to reoffend: Prisoners participating in The Clink Charity’s hospitality training scheme are 41% less likely to reoffend, a new report has revealed. The report, conducted by the Justice Data Lab (JDL) and the Ministry of Justice, looked at male ex-offenders who have trained for between six and 18 months at The Clink Restaurants at HMP High Down in Surrey, HMP Brixton in London and HMP Cardiff in Wales. To show a fair assessment, Clink graduates who qualified for analysis were measured comparatively with individuals that had not received The Clink’s intervention but were similar in circumstance. The results found for every 100 typical people participating in The Clink’s training scheme, 17 would go on to reoffend within a year of release whereas, for every 100 typical non-participants in a group of similar people, 29 would reoffend within a year. This indicates that for The Clink Charity there has been a 41.0% reduction in the likelihood of reoffending for those participating in the programme. In line with the reduction in the number of individuals committing a reoffence achieved by The Clink Charity, the data also shows a reduction in the number of proven reoffences by 40.9%. The Clink Charity chief executive Chris Moore said: “The results of the Justice Data Lab report provide statistical verification that the determined work of The Clink Charity is the right course to be followed if we are to continue to reduce reoffending rates in the UK. Although the figures show we have made a considerable impact on reducing recidivism, as well as the number of offences committed by those who did go on to reoffend, we are confident the 2017 JDL review of The Clink Charity will show further reductions as we continue to expand The Clink concept across the prison estate, in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS). Lack of education and employment, prior to conviction, are key factors in those who commit crimes. The JDL report estimates that of the Clink graduates assessed, ‘68% were unemployed’ and ‘32% had significant problems with problem solving’, which is why The Clink Charity has been built on an educational foundation that is assessed by Ofsted and adheres to the City & Guild syllabuses. We have a team of support workers who mentor our trainees, prior to and following release, to help in securing accommodation and employment as part of their rehabilitation. With these systems in place, we expect to see our success grow further over the next 12 months.” The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal in Cheshire – the charity’s first, and currently only prisoner training restaurant within a prison for women – and The Clink Gardens at HMP Send in Surrey were omitted from the analysis because the restaurant and gardens have not been operational long enough for the data to be valid. With a total of six training initiatives in operation, the charity is on track to achieve its target of having 20 prisoner training projects in operation by the end of 2020. This will see more than 1,000 highly-qualified Clink graduates released into employment each year.