Kentucky is taking steps to help reduce recidivism while also working to help the economy and improve public safety.
On Thursday, Governor Beshear signed an executive order, creating the Governor’s Council of Second Chance Employers.
It is comprised of fifteen business and community leaders from across Kentucky including Amazon, BlueOval SK, UPS, DV8 Kitchen and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, along with the secretaries of the Justice Cabinet, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Education and Labor Cabinet.
During a press conference, former Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey said a good employment is the key that opens many doors.
“A decent job creates hope, and hopeful people are far less likely to commit crimes. It means that we're going to provide more and better education and vocational training to our inmates so they will be equipped to succeed in the modern economy.”
Harvey will serve as the special advisor to the Governor for reentry programs. He said it is important to help people after they have served their time. “This means helping people navigate a world that may be far different from what they remember. Things as basic as obtaining an ID, learning how to access healthcare, finding a place to live, solving transportation problems, figuring out how to get from one place to another.”
The Governor’s Council of Second Chance Employers will meet quarterly to educate employers and local communities on the benefits of second-chance hiring, advocate for laws and investments to improve reentry outcomes and develop best practices for effective reentry programming.
The council will provide an annual report to the Governor on or before January 31 each year detailing activities, findings and recommendations.
For more information on Second-Chance Job, Education and Recovery Resources can be found here.
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