Prison Work Proposal

Ken Clarke's proposal to make all prisoners work a 40 hour week, and for them to be paid a minimum wage, is a good idea:

- It will alleviate the soul crushing boredom of prison, a recipe for trouble in any institution.

- It will give the prisoners some self respect.

- It will give the prisoners experience of real work, something many of them may never have had.

The downside of this proposal is that for the honest law abiding long term unemployed, it may come across as a bit of a "slap in the face".