Who says crime doesn’t pay? Britain’s coalition government is offering foreign inmates a cash incentive of $2,400 to return voluntarily to their country of origin—tripling the amount offered by the previous government.
“Every day that a foreign national is held in prison costs the taxpayer money. That is why I want to see them removed from the U.K. at the earliest opportunity,” Damian Green, the immigration minister, said on Tuesday. “[The scheme] not only saves the taxpayer money in the long run, but also means foreign criminals are removed as soon as possible, denying them the opportunity to reoffend or drag out the removal process with frivolous appeals.”
(See pictures of the world’s most humane prison.)
Britain currently houses 11,135 foreign inmates, who account for one in seven of all prisoners. It costs the government £38,000 ($61,000) to keep someone in jail for one year—more than the cost of sending a student to Eton, the elite prep school for boys.
(Read TIME’s article “Britain’s Prisons: Budgeting Behind Bars.”)
Despite the purported long-term savings, critics have lambasted the increased payouts as “obscene” because they come at a time when law-abiding families and victims of crime face decreased wages, increased taxes and other government-imposed austerity measures meant to reduce Britain’s deficit.
“It’s a total disgrace that public money is being used to bribe foreign criminals like this,” Fiona McEvoy, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said. “If they’ve broken the law they should be deported, not rewarded with cash handouts. Crackpot schemes like this are just frittering away much-needed cash and completely insulting to ordinary people struggling to make ends meet.”
The handouts are meant to help foreign prisoners get back on their feet and find accommodation after they return home. But, critics say, there is no way of ensuring that criminals won’t use the money to try to sneak back into Britain. British prisoners currently receive grants of just $74 on their release date.
Tony Blair’s Labour government introduced the incentives in 2006 to avoid drawn-out—and costly—deportation battles. The Tories criticized that policy while in opposition. But desperate to ease overcrowding and save much-needed cash, they have expanded the incentive system and tied it to an early release scheme that allows prisoners to leave jail up to nine months early. Those who agree to return home ahead of their scheduled release are eligible for the full $2,400, while those who return home at the end of their sentence can receive a maximum payout of $1,200.
(Read TIME’s article on Norway’s progressive prison system.)
The Telegraph reports that nearly one-third of the 5,500 foreign criminals removed from Britain last year went voluntarily after accepting the payout, including a Malaysian migrant who killed a 17-month-old baby.