Inmates at a prison near the Shropshire border are getting free driving lessons in a £100,000 simulator.
The initiative is designed to help the women prisoners at Drake Hall, in Eccleshall learn to drive. Many of them have committed motoring offences.
The Staffordshire prison has been given use of the state-of-the-art simulator by the British School of Motoring to help rehabilitate inmates and bolster their employment opportunities once released.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “We work very hard to resettle and rehabilitate prisoners and one of these ways is to help them learn to drive.
“The Prison Service is not paying for this it is funded by the National Employment Panel through the Department of Work and Pensions.”
Staffordshire county councillor for Eccleshall, Henry Butter, today defended the scheme saying it would benefit the public purse in the long run.
He said: “It is the first I have heard about this, but on reflection is it probably a good thing if it gets the inmates to drive properly.
“It would appear to be unfair giving them these free lessons, but we are trying to rehabilitate people and encourage them not to reoffend.
“The cost of using this machine is insignificant compared to the cost of keeping these girls inside.”
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12 Comments
We must be nearing the Pinnacle of The Politically Correct Lunatics Aspirations! ………. this is one of the most Outrageous Examples of Mis-use of Tax-Payers Money I have ever seen …… Perhaps it would be aproppriate to install a Sauna and Tanning Equipment for their Use whilst they await their turn On the State of the art Equipment …… I’ll Retire to Bedlam…………
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Forget Alton Towers – lets all go to Drake Hall !!!
Hands up any tax payer [or should I say mug] who was consulted about this project before it was implemented ?
Whatever happened to slopping out and breaking rocks ?
It beggars belief !!!!
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Ihope they are giving them some high speed driving instructions, to enable them to further thier careers!
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where the hell are we going? both my law abiding children had to pay for driving lessons.why should criminals be allowed to milk us hard working law obeying tax payers? This country is making me sick where wrong doers are rewarded more than hard working people Government wake up a people revolution is not far away
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why not provide “free getaway cars”once they are proficiant
they shouldnt be in prison in the first place more luxuries for lags and pesioners cannot afford to live
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Yet another bizarre example of ‘do-gooders’ wasting our money on ridiculous schemes most of us dont agree with. Prison is supposed to be a punishment, otherwise what deterrent is it?
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The point of helping the women to start to learn to drive is because they are far less likely to re-offend if they can get employment and many of the jobs these women might hope to get require them to be able to drive.
It costs all of us far less if we don’t have to keep them in prison and the price stated would be for a brand new machine not necessarily what was paid for this one.
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I totally agree with all these comments, people who are honest and work hard have to pay for their driving lessons. Why is it when you do something wrong you get rewarded. Its disgraceful and what happened to asking the public what our opinion is before spending our money.
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Surely one of the functions of a custodial sentence is rehabilitation? Therefore, the rehabilitation of those convicted of serious motoring offences is of primary concern. I am astonished by the tone of the comments on this website to such a positive action by the Prison Service.
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Damn, ill have to get a spell in jail then, as i cant afford driving lessons, and i work!
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Me first Jo !!
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I like it!!
Bolster their employment opportunities when they get out?
Ye they will be more qualified to get jobs as get away drivers on bank jobs etc. Come on get real.
I wonder what genious thought this scheme up to justify their existence
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