Is Prison Labour a Suitable Solution to the UK's Labour Shortage?

Image Courtesy of Larry Farr from Unsplash

Food left unpicked on British farms whilst prices in supermarkets soar, construction companies unable to fill work sites during a housing crisis, and, as of January 2023, approximately 11.5% of UK businesses short of workers. There is no doubt; the UK’s labour shortage is putting our already damaged economy in crisis. Since 2021, food manufacturers have been calling on ministers to alleviate labour shortages by using prisoners, but it has not been until recently that this solution has become so tempting. In the wake of Daniel Khalife’s infamous escape from HMP Wandsworth in September, followed by the news that judges in England and Wales have been told to stop sending convicts to prison, the attention of the nation has been drawn to the fact that the UK’s prisons are full. 

Not only would allowing farmers, food manufacturers and surveyors to hire prisoners make a huge difference to the labour shortage, but if done properly, it could reduce overcrowding in our prisons and provide better standards of living and rehabilitation for those prisoners. 

I hear the more conservative amongst you cry out; “allow dangerous criminals on our streets? Be responsible for our food? They’re supposed to be serving their sentence”. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t really be too concerned about someone who had been convicted on charges of fraud picking blackberries. Clearly those who had committed offences such as murder or rape, and any other who could be deemed a danger to the public or at risk of escape should not be employed. But for low-level offenders, I truly do not see the harm in them being allowed to contribute to our society, especially when they would still be fulfilling their state-mandated punishment by being in prison with limited liberty. From a purely economical standpoint, when considering the fact that taxpayer money is being used to house and feed these prisoners, does it not make good economic sense to have them contribute to the economy in turn? 

On the other hand, those more liberal might associate prison labour with slave labour, perhaps due to the campaigns in the US to end penal labour and forced servitude for those incarcerated. It should be noted that in the US, prisoners are often required as part of their sentence to perform jobs and are paid far below minimum wage for it. Of course, in the system that is being proposed in the UK, none of the labour would be mandatory, and systems of regulation would have to be put in place to make sure prisoners were treated with respect and humanity whilst working and they would be paid adequately for their work. For most low-level prisoners facing a relatively short sentence, I’m sure having the option to do paid work would be a welcome one - they could send the money back to their families, which, considering how low the rate is for hiring ex-convicts, would probably be eager to create some financial stability. Government data shows, according to the Financial Times, that ‘prisoners who worked or did vocational training while in prison were more likely to be in employment shortly after release’, but that only 36% of prisons in England and Wales provided this kind of education for prisoners. That number could be greatly increased by government-led programmes to transform prisoners into skilled workers by bringing them into employment.

Choosing to go into employment while incarcerated could even be rewarded with a reduced sentence, which would help solve overcrowding in prisons. Furthermore, the opportunity to work and function as an ordinary member of society would go a long way to help rehabilitate and reform prisoners - which should be the point of the system in the first place. 

I know that for most progressive and young people like myself, the prospect of this kind of proposal may send alarm bells ringing. Its moral and philosophical implications are perhaps uncomfortable but if done properly, employing prisoners would be a benefit to all involved. If it could reduce the stress on our overcrowded prisons, allow for a more rehabilitative system, and solve the UK’s labour shortage all at once, what is the harm in at least trying it?