THE British prisons are overcrowded and many of those released are quite often soon back in, so it’s not working.

Remember the old saying: “The devil finds work for idle hands.”

So, keep them active with some type of work such as helping charities.

When I was active in voluntary work, one of the jobs was to help people who were classed as unemployable to find work they could do and enjoy.

While I was running the County Durham Furniture Help Scheme (CDFHS), the local dole office, probation service and the prison service sent me people every day to work in the furniture scheme and teach them a trade because I told them everyone has a talent and one of my jobs is to help them find it.

Every weekday morning, two large double decker buses full of prisoners (on the last year of their sentence) would arrive at 9am.

The bus would return at 5pm to take them back to prison.

I would tell them and the others when they arrived that I know everyone has a talent and I and my colleagues will help them find it.

Give me a good day’s work and we will give you a good dinner.

No work = no dinner so do the work you are asked to do.

Which they always did.

After a few years I provided the authorities with an analysis that showed 95 per cent went onto full-time employment and five per cent full time voluntary work as they had certain disabilities not easy to see.

In 2004, I moved the scheme onto the Chilton Industrial Estate.

If you would like to see how it works give CDFHS a call on 01388 721509 or visit the website cdfhs.org.uk.

I started that furniture help scheme in 1970.

By the way, my experience of AI is that we should say Artificial Idiot.

Remember it was written by a human being therefore subject to errors.

Christopher CCR Palmer, Newton Aycliffe