Prisons: Homeless ex-offenders twice as likely to reoffend – data

The government is currently seeking to ease overcrowding in jails in England and Wales through a major review of sentencing and a prison early release scheme.

Last week, a man released via the programme warned that ex-prisoners were more likely to reoffend in order to survive without somewhere to live.

Nacro CEO Campbell Robb said: “The vicious cycle of reoffending so many prison leavers find themselves trapped in is often driven by homelessness and unemployment.”

According to government figures, external, the cost of reoffending in England and Wales is about £18bn a year.

“Put in strictly monetary terms, failing to use evidence-based measures to reduce reoffending is creating a gaping black hole in public finances,” said Mr Robb.

“Tackling reoffending with adequate investment in housing and rehabilitation schemes is imperative if the Government wants to commit to creating a more sustainable justice system and in turn a safer society for us all.”

The MoJ spokesperson said the figures illustrated “the scale of the prison crisis the new Government inherited.”

They added that prisoners at risk of homelessness could be offered up to 12 weeks in temporary housing under a programme which had been rolled out since July 2021.