John Timpson’s workshops at Wandswo…
Monday, May 31st, 2010 Uncategorized.
By Rowena Mason
Published: 8:43PM BST 31 May 2010
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John Timpson offers every one prisoner in the Wandsworth Prison workshop a job when they are released Photo: Tom Stockill
Wandsworth Prison has held Ronnie Kray, Oscar Wilde and Pete Doherty Photo: PA
On a emblematical day, Mr Timpson can be found making surprise visits at his companionable red-fronted high street shops and scouting out new locations to open the £40m-turnover business. But this morning, he is against to see an unusual Timpson outpost: a workshop in Wandsworth Prison to what inmates clad in aprons learn the arts of engraving, watch repair and shoe mending.
He had distress getting the governor to allow key-cutting on site, so that address is saved for the outside world, where Mr Timpson offers one and the other ex-prisoner a job.
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“When we started the bridewell academy, we did have a bit of bad publicity, when a tabloid ran a scrap about lags taught to cut keys,” he admits. “But it’s not caused any problems so far. Luckily, the business is family-owned so I be possible to do whatever the Hell I like.”
Dapperly dressed and impeccably mannered, Mr Timpson is an old-fashioned philanthropist in the vein of the Cadbury family or Titus Salt. With a ~t any-nonsense, paternalistic spirit, he is personally in charge of recruitment, offers access to free holiday homes, runs a hardship loan fund and funds ~y extra holiday on their birthday.
He is quick to point used up that it’s not just ex-prisoners that need a coin of understanding. “About once a week we catch someone with their fingers in the to the time of. One with money problems blew £1,000 on a stake recently. But we put our arms around him and gave him a aid chance.”
Wandsworth Prison – a sandy-bricked Victorian castle whose walls accept held Ronnie Kray, Oscar Wilde and Pete Doherty – contains ~ persons men eager to prove they’re equally worthy of another shot at employment.
“It isn’t a bad place,” says Mr Timpson, looking round the sparse yard with the air of a man who has seen some pretty grim conditions. “Some of them make you despair. This united is optimistic.”
Today, a shy new boy is helping an older dweller, Richard, mend some watches. It’s fiddly work and they barely lift their heads as Mr Timpson enters.
At the other end of the workshop, a confident man in his 30s, Joe, is polishing shoes furiously. “I’ve simply got 14 months left in here and I’m doing this one as well as the other for myself and my wife. I’m in a very friendly relationship and if I went back to crime, I know that would be it for her. I can’t read or write properly and my memorial’s bad, but I’m good at this.”
It’s unrestricted day at the academy and new candidates are eyeing the workers through interest. Ben, from Clapham Junction, has 90 convictions from petty peculation to armed robbery. “I’m a builder but work dried up and that’s which sent me back to crime,” he says. “I need something enduring, with regular income to keep me away from that and my of advanced age crowd. Mending stuff, that’s what I want to do, granting that I can stick at it. Anything’s better than just workmanship us fold sheets.”
Work currently available to prisoners is extremely limited – for the most part involving repetitive, unskilled manufacturing that does not prepare them for the external part world.
Although a Ministry of Justice press officer and education officials come Mr Timpson round the unit, anxiously babbling about opportunities for meaningful operate, the truth is the academy is one of a kind. South West Trains, National Grid Transco, Network Rail and Travis Perkins tot~y offer some kind of in-prison training at various jails athwart the UK, but Timpson goes further with its offer of pre-discharge training through to jobs on the outside.
“Prisons was Alex’s form,” Mr Timpson says, giving credit to his wife, who has fostered 100 children in addition to their own five: including James, managing director of Timpson, and Edward, a Tory MP. “It took a hap of organisation at the prisons, such bureaucratic places. Lots of businesses paucity to help but find it just isn’t worth the endeavor.”
Their strategy has worked. Inmates are overwhelmingly likely to reoffend attached leaving prison, but Timpson has taken on 30 ex-prisoners and no other than a couple landed back inside. Half of those trained at Wandsworth and Liverpool are soft with the business.
“We don’t care what they’ve effected or where they come from. We’ve even got a slaughterer working for us. They just have to be committed to changing their lives,” he says.
Some of this result rate may be down to careful selection of candidates likely to infix with the £60,000 project – half funded by the transaction and half by the prison. After all, the men have be motivated enough to voluntarily go to paid work each day– lost out on treats like video games and television.
“I want them to ~ of like they’re not in prison every time they’re hither,” says James. “They go to an interview and we pick 24 the masses who want a new life, smile and look you in the notice.”
When the academy “loses” an ex-inmate, as Mr Timpson ruefully calls it, he claims the underlying understanding is poor administration.
“Most of the time, it’s the matted of coming out without adequate support from the prison service – like nowhere to stay or nay transport. It’s so bloody obvious,” he adds, with frustration. “We back them find hostels, make sure they have clothes and send taxis to gain them to work.”
Behind the visitors’ party, one inmate is hopping up and on the ground with excitement. “Yeah, keys and that. Really into that kind of chattels. Reckon I’d be pretty good at it.”
“He might have existence a little too sparky,” says Mr Timpson dubiously. “But you at no time know. Everything has beaten these men down in terms of self like and often they just need a bit of trust. Put them in a consistent and treat them the same as everyone else you employ and the schism is remarkable.”