The news was celebrated by Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and his staff at a Platinum Jubilee-themed afternoon tea event that was hosted by serving prisoners on the cooking scheme. It was prepared at one of the country’s newest Clink Kitchens at HMP Exeter which opened in March.
Over 2,500 prisoners have found jobs through The Clink Charity since it launched at HMP Brixton in 2014, with ex-offenders now working at eateries ranging from chip shops to Michelin star restaurants. Raab announced plans to double the number of Clink kitchens again to 50 by the end of 2023 – meaning thousands more offenders will walk straight into a job on release.
He said: “Schemes like The Clink are training thousands of prisoners in catering and hospitality – to give them the skills to find work, and turn their back on crime. I’ve quadrupled the number of Clink kitchens operating out of our prisons – which is helping offenders stay on the straight and narrow, and keeping our streets safer.”
The proportion of prison leavers in work six months after release has also increased by 9 percentage points, rising to 23% between April 2021 and March 2022.
Yvonne Thomas, chief executive of The Clink Charity, added: “With the support of our charitable funders and HMPPS, [The Clink Charity] is now providing over 400 training places in prisons, a number that is rising each month as we open in more prison kitchens. We will continue to help people in prison through training qualified hospitality staff, and through intensive support after their release. We are grateful to our donors, the employers we work with and to the Ministry of Justice for their continued support.”