Rehabilitation applies in footballer’s case too

with reference to your article (The Yorkshire Post, September 29) concerning the footballer Ched Evans, I would like to offer some comments.

As a nation I really thought we were in the business of rehabilitating offenders; a process which surely includes ensuring that people are encouraged back into employment. To therefore discourage employers from employing people who have served their sentence and paid their debt to society does not sit well with this aim.

I really do struggle to understand why 60,000 people should take it upon themselves to seek to further condemn someone and prevent them from gaining employment in their recognised profession.

What do they think would be served by this?

Should we preclude all released prisoners from employment, or just re-employment with their previous employer? Or does this just apply to footballers?

I understand the concerns of Sheffield United expressed by the co-chairman Jim Phipps regarding their brand, but I would hope they would also consider the issue of justice and the working out of that, in addition of course to their professional football interests.