The Prison sentence starts when you are released

That is the message that has just been sent to us by specialist insurance broker Neil Cook. It is to insurance companies who are not interested in people who are known as "Ex offenders"

The following is what he has supplied us with subject to some grammar, wording changes and names of companies in this article etc.

"Imagine, you have come from a broken home age 14 years of age, have been abused, you are living rough in the streets for years, you drink and shoplift to "Survive", cos you have no fix abode, you then "sofa surf" with friends that are providing you warmth from the snow, in return to go on to better funding to crime, i.e. commercial burglary, smash and grab, you are now aged 21.

You are  arrested and spend time, along with the higher experienced, professional, prisoners, you learn welding, or whatever they decide to teach you, you take the courses, that are offered in H.M.P, then you are released into a hostel, trying for employment, you meet a new "beau", and move in.

You've completed your parole, you've abided the rules, you start to try to turn your life around, by living without your old ways of life before, you apply for work, you may even get a reply, if your accepted by informing them of your past, you arer nearly in the final three applicants, until your told I’m sorry, sir or madam, you were not accepted.

Years have gone by, you are scrimping by, do the odd decorating job, window cleaning, although, by "rights you are supposed to declare, your paltry earnings, but you don’t because of, setting you back, with the beaurocratic system, that we have, in allowing, say a six months grace of what "I believe would be long enough, for any person that does not want to join, "what I call, "We I be employed next year, brigade!"

You then start a college course and you get your diplomas, you start to find job, you get a reply, and then accepted, your life has started to turn around, aged 25, you buy a small house, you decide now things are looking up, a mortgage first with your "highly, professional partner, things are going well, then all of a sudden, whilst your away, on holiday on a package holiday you've been burgled, you call the police, you report everything, from the Ford Mondeo to the flat screen TV, plus, personal damage to your home.

You think well at least, we were not in, when it happened, as you know your work leaves your partner on their own, whilst your working," thank god we were insured", you call up your insurance broker to report with crime number, "You arrange for the assessors for appointment as they want to inspect your premises, ok they say you will be hearing from us via a letter, the letter arrives, with them saying I’m very sorry, but we are not going to pay out, reason being you never declared in your application that you were an ex-offender.

"Well there were no questions to that effect, you say, the answer comes back, well you should have read the small print. This did happen to me many years ago, with a car, because, I was in employed, but when I was unemployed and had the claim,  my claim was not carried out!

So you see, apart from the "ex- offender, of whom was a commercial burglar and thief, he or she had paid their debt to society, most people say of prison life is easy, maybe, but I believe, that the legalise crooks, are the ones that should be in debt to society, i.e, banks, insurers, pension schemes that take our money, or is it a clever way, if we as a society support majority of the prisoners, when they come out, with resettlement programmes would, there be a lot of courts, and lawyers, offices, with "closing down signs, or prison officers queuing up in the in the job centres. "It really makes me wonder", we are the smallest country, in Europe, with highest prison population, at £50,000 per prisoner per year, that’s without the court bills, think about it


Let’s not let financial exclusion from insurers destroy ex offender’s lives! Charities and organizations need to help address this issue and give correct advice to their clients about this issue. Details Neil Cook specialist Insurance broker who can be contacted Here. He specialises in a range of insurance solution for Ex offenders, people living in flood risk areas and more.