Taxpayers are funding around £2billion a year in out-of-work payments to nearly 1.3million people with criminal records, including £1.2billion to those on Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The rest of the money is paid to offenders who claim income support as lone parents or receive Incapacity Benefit and its replacement, Employment Support Allowance.
The figures lay bare the degree to which an ‘underclass’ that drifts in and out of criminal activity is using state handouts to bolster its income, while often continuing a life of crime.'
Knowing my world view many readers might expect me to latch onto the facts above and attempt to use them to prove some point.
The stats though are completely meaningless without understanding each individual case. There is no possibility of extrapolating anything from these figures whatsoever.
In general terms it may give rise to a certain disquiet and concern but there is no hint contained within of how you could distinguish between the criminal and the reformed: the genuine and the waster.
I remain deeply perturbed by the existence of this group but tragically, there is no quick-fix solution.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2079176/One-jobless-benefits-got-criminal-record.html#ixzz1hoJ773fD
