Posted on Feb 27, 2018
The Kansas Department of Corrections is turning to local businesses to help reduce the number of inmates who return to prison.
"Kansas has been a leader in the nation on recidivism programs to push down recidivism rates for people that go into prison," said Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.
According to the KDOC 2016 Annual Report, the Kansas recidivism rate is 35.94-percent. This means that more than one in three Kansas inmates are arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison.
Now, more than two dozen private companies in Kansas are trying to make a difference by employing an average of 840 inmates each year.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KAKE) -
The Kansas Department of Corrections is turning to local businesses to help reduce the number of inmates who return to prison.
"Kansas has been a leader in the nation on recidivism programs to push down recidivism rates for people that go into prison," said Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.
According to the KDOC 2016 Annual Report, the Kansas recidivism rate is 35.94-percent. This means that more than one in three Kansas inmates are arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison.
Now, more than two dozen private companies in Kansas are trying to make a difference by employing an average of 840 inmates each year.
"They're doing phenomenal things helping guys get a skill, so when they get outside, they won't be back in prison," said Brownback.
For every dollar earned from an inmate employed by private industry, 25-cents pays for room and board. About 60-percent of the inmate's income pays for obligations (see breakdown below).
"We really want to make our state and our communities better. And, we do that through private industry," said Warden Dan Schnurr, Hutchinson Correctional Facility. "While they're working in a private industry or work release, there's money going back to the state."
While the money they earn is of importance, inmates tell us that private industry jobs provide much more.
"I've learned what it means to be a man of integrity. To do the thing even when no one's looking. I've learned about accountability. That accountability starts with me," said Everett Gentry, inmate.
"Helped instill confidence and responsibility, how important it was to stay out of trouble, how important it was to keep a job, to be able to provide for yourself, for your loved ones. I didn't have that before," said Luis Gutierrez, former inmate.
Employers who hire inmates like Gentry said that this is an opportunity to help men transform into productive citizens.
"We're giving them economic capital with a job, but we're giving them dignity and respect by respecting them," said Pete Ochs, chairman of Capital III. Ochs' social impact investment company has two operations inside the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, Electrex and Seat King.
Ochs says his business is a triple bottom line company that empowers his employees through economic, social, and spiritual capital.
"I think there are three things needed for humans to flourish. One is material possessions. The second thing we all need is we need to be in relationships. The third thing we think everyone needs is a moral code by which to live," said Ochs. "We're giving them a skill. We're training them how to live in society. we're encouraging them to be the fathers they should be. We're encouraging them to pay the debt to society that they owe."