Brit govt. attacked for giving “bribe” cards to foreign prisoners

LONDON - Critics are outraged after reports surfaced that the British Government is secretly deporting foreign prisoners with a cash card pre-loaded with almost 500 pounds.

Introduced by Home Office officials two months ago, the card is part of a package worth up to 5,000 pounds that is available to offenders who go voluntarily when they have finished their sentence.

The Times Online quoted Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Justice Secretary, as saying: “It is bad enough that Gordon Brown lost control of our borders and has let thousands of foreign criminals into the country. Now we learn that foreign prisoners are being given cash cards loaded with hundreds of pounds of taxpayers’ money.”

Mark Leech, editor of Converse, the national newspaper for prisoners, said that the deal was ridiculous.

“We are not helping our own prisoners, the ones who go out with nothing but a discharge grant. In order to create space in the prisons we are bribing foreign prisoners to leave with this package,” he said.

The cash card involved foreign prisoners being given the 46 pounds discharge grant available to every prisoner plus a package of help “in kind” worth up to 3,000 pounds.

This could include help with housing, training and education. For those willing to leave earlier, the package comprised the 46 pounds discharge grant plus help in kind of up to 5,000 pounds.

In 2006 the support in kind was 800 pounds but in 2007 the figure was increased to 1,500 pounds before being doubled to £3,000 last year.

Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, defended the scheme. “Our facilitated returns scheme saves the taxpayer money because foreign criminals are removed direct from jail or immigration detention, often before their sentence ends. This means foreign lawbreakers cannot drag out the removal process for months,” he said. (ANI)