550 former offenders received job placement, training and employment in 2004, according to a report released today.
The report, published by Business in the Community in Ireland (Bitci), says that 1,600 offenders have benefited from the Linkage Programme since its inception in 2000.
The programme has 15 Training and Employment officers nationwide and operates on the premise that education, training and employment reduce the risk of people re-offending.
At the launch of the report the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell acknowledged the benefits of work placement for offenders, the economics of which compare very favourably against that of custodial care.
Each placement costs approximately €1,400, compared to €86,000 per annum for keeping an offender in custody.
The programme is run by bitci and managed in conjunction with the Probation and Welfare Service and funded by the National Development Plan.
Bitci have also called for the expungement of criminal records of certain former offenders.
Bitci CEO Tina Roche, said today: "While the law must protect the public, does a potential employer have to know about a record arising from a minor public order conviction obtained by the person as a teenager or young adult?"
"While the fact of a sentence does not constitute a legal barrier to obtaining a job, it appears to constitute a de facto one which may interfere with an individual’s right to earn a livelihood, right to personal self-determination, right to privacy and right to a good name" added Ms Roche.
Stopping short of calling for the government to expunge certain records, Director of the Small Firms Association Pat Delaney, called for employers to be more lenient towards former offenders in search of employment.
"Given that there is no provision in Irish law on the expunging of sentences, all offences, regardless of their nature, remain on the offender’s file making it very difficult for him/her to obtain a job. Recognising that the success of the Linkage Programme ultimately depends on employer support, I appeal to employers not to impose blanket bans on employing former offenders," said Mr Delaney.