Sing sing: prison choir connects local employers to former offenders

Pilot scheme at HMP Birmingham prepares prisoners for jobs and urges employers to see the potential of untapped workforce

In a brightly lit loft above the chapel of HMP Birmingham, singer Julianne Bastock is asking local business people to miaow up and down a musical scale.

There are nervous smiles among the smartly dressed men and women who have come to see for themselves how a scheme to run choirs in prisons can help tackle reoffending rates and connect former prisoners with employers.