Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Criminal recordsLatest NewsEx-offendersRetail

Iceland Foods considers jobs for low-risk offenders

by Rob Moss 27 Jan 2025
by Rob Moss 27 Jan 2025 Photo: In Case You're Wondering / Shutterstock
Photo: In Case You're Wondering / Shutterstock

Offenders facing short prison terms could offered a job at Iceland Foods instead, executives at the supermarket have suggested.

Iceland chief executive Richard Walker and Paul Cowley, director of rehabilitation, have written to Lord Timpson, the minister for prisons, probation and reducing reoffending, proposing the scheme to help solve prison overcrowding.

The idea could see low-risk offenders avoiding prison by being given a job at Iceland – before serving any prison time – as part of a suspended sentence.

Jobs for offenders

How HR mentors are rebuilding confidence among ex-offenders

Stigma putting construction firms off hiring ex-offenders

Employment councils set up to help offenders into work

Walker told The Times: “We have a prisons crisis, and we have a solution that we think could be really powerful. And look, if people mess up and they don’t turn up for work, then they do go inside.”

He added that hiring criminals reduces reoffending and is good for business as the retention of staff is higher for offenders.

Cowley said: “If it all goes well, then that’s your sentence. You don’t go to prison. You don’t lose your home, kids don’t go into care. And if it doesn’t, and it all goes pear-shaped, then it’s a suspended sentence which kicks in.

“But it’s an opportunity to get rid of a custodial sentence. And I believe, and the company believes, that that would have some impact on reducing reoffending and our prison population.”

As of August last year, Iceland employed 350 ex-offenders in posts on the shop floor and as home delivery drivers.  The Times reported that Cowley and Walker have spoken to two former attorneys-general about the feasibility of the plan, who said the plan was legally possible.

“We won’t consider anyone on the sex offenders register,” Cowley told The Times. “We can’t legally put people who are on the sex offenders register into public-facing businesses like Iceland Foods.”

Cowley added: “We can’t take anyone with an arson conviction, because of insurance issues. With that, we don’t take anyone who is domestic violence with children involved. We don’t want to do that either.”

“We know much more about their backgrounds than non-offenders,” Walker added.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR roles in retail and wholesale on Personnel Today


Browse more HR roles in retail and wholesale

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
WH Smith sale could risk jobs for high-street staff
next post
Keep Britain Working review ‘opportunity to reset’ workforce health

You may also like

Post Office scandal police probe to draw in...

12 Dec 2024

Extra background checks could trigger more discrimination claims

10 Dec 2024

Benjamin Mendy awarded most of £11m unpaid Man...

7 Nov 2024

Care assistant unfairly dismissed following murder charge

2 Aug 2024

HR legal opinion: why the BBC continued to...

1 Aug 2024

How HR mentors are rebuilding confidence among ex-offenders

16 Jul 2024

KPMG urges others to hire ex-offenders after pilot

24 Apr 2024

Automated police vetting system being explored

15 Apr 2024

Stigma putting construction firms off hiring ex-offenders

15 Mar 2024

Radical overhaul of police vetting required, says inquiry

29 Feb 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+