Leading article: In favour of a good day's work

Ken Clarke's plans for work schemes in prisons is one of those ideas that seems so obvious it is hard to understand why it has not been pursued before.

Granted, work for prisoners has been tarred by historical association with hard labour, exploitation and chain gangs. But as the Justice Secretary's proposals prove, there is another way. In fact, the goal to reach 10,000 prisoners doing a day's work for fair pay by 2015 should appeal to all sides of the political spectrum.

For sticklers for law and order, it spells an end to the perceived cushy prison life of idleness, drugs and television. For those concerned that prison provide rehabilitation as well as punishment, a work programme replaces the dead time of a prison term with productive – and confidence-boosting – activity, offering the opportunity to develop skills, and a sound preparation for working life in the outside world. And by ploughing a slice of inmates' wages into the local community, prisons can give something back to the society that pays for them.

The numbers are as compelling as the theory. At the moment, the majority of prisoners leave jail woefully under-prepared for life outside. Just 36 per cent go straight into a job or a training scheme. But of that third, only 22 per cent go on to reoffend, compared with the 70 per cent recidivism rate among those with no employment.

Prison work schemes do present logistical challenges, such as how to ensure that local jobseekers are not disadvantaged or local businesses undercut. But they are not insurmountable. It is encouraging that eight major companies are outspoken backers of the scheme. And the business group that has already been engaged to scout out and avoid potential unintended consequences will also help.

Judging by results of the small number of existing prisoner work schemes, the prognosis is good. At Altcourse near Liverpool, for example, 120 inmates work in a metal shop and a portion of their wages goes into a fund to support victims of crime. Mr Clarke's aim for a similar programme in all 133 prisons in England and Wales is a common-sense proposal that deserves support.