Administration remains focused on enhancing public safety and reducing crime 

FRANKFORT, KY - To further support Kentucky’s booming economy and enhance public safety, Gov. Andy Beshear today announced additional steps the state is taking to help those who have paid their debt to society with obtaining meaningful employment upon release and to continue reducing the state’s recidivism rate.

The Governor signed an executive order establishing the Governor’s Council of Second Chance Employers, comprising 15 business and community leaders, 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. The council 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 Jan. 31 each year detailing activities, findings and recommendations.

“We have made great progress, recording the three lowest recidivism rates in over a decade, and now we’re turning our progress into prosperity,” Gov. Beshear said. “To protect Kentucky families, save lives, build safer communities and create a new Kentucky home with less crime and addiction, we must support those leaving incarceration with a solid foundation so they can obtain a good job – one that helps them provide for their family and successfully return to society.”

Several leaders from the council stated what second-chance employment means for the success of their business.

At least 95% of the state inmate population will be released from incarceration at some point. To further help inmates become strong candidates for Kentucky’s fast-paced labor market through the development of job skills and attainment of certifications, the Governor also announced that his administration is expanding career and technical opportunities throughout the prison system.

The first prison to launch a new licensure program is the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women, which is working to establish a licensed cosmetology school. This will be the first time in Kentucky that a prison has had a cosmetology school. Once launched, female inmates will be able to complete a Kentucky Board of Cosmetology-approved course of study from qualified instructors while incarcerated. Upon completing the required 1,500 hours of instruction, inmates will be eligible to take the cosmetology examination. Upon successfully passing the practical and written exams, an individual will be a licensed cosmetologist and ready to obtain employment upon release.

For today’s announcement, the Governor was joined by Kerry Harvey, special advisor to the Governor for reentry programs, who has been tasked with collaborating with businesses and state agencies to build access to an untapped talent pool ready and equipped to work on day one.

“These partnerships strengthen Kentucky families by enhancing public safety and reducing crime,” said Harvey. “By establishing strong second chances for those who have been released from incarceration, we are building a new Kentucky home where our future generations not only are safe but feel safe at home and in their communities, while also saving lives.”

In April, Gov. Beshear announced a new website to support Kentuckians seeking second chances find a job, get an education or continue recovery. The site also connects business leaders with resources to help them hire second-chance talent.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $32.8 billion in announced investments, creating more than 55,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 and 2023 topped $26 in consecutive years for the first time.

Last year, the Governor was joined by members of the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council to launch the Jobs on Day One initiative, which aims to help released inmates have a job when they leave incarceration. This new initiative helps former inmates become strong candidates for Kentucky’s fast-paced labor market through the development of job skills and attainment of certifications while providing educational opportunities and treatment services. Employers interested in participating in Jobs on Day One, click here.

The Kentucky Transformational Employment Program has trained more than 4,000 business leaders across the commonwealth as second-chance employers, representing 35,000 jobs for individuals recently released from prison or in recovery from addiction.

In June, the Beshear-Coleman administration announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth have decreased for the second year in a row, with 2023 seeing a 9.8% decrease compared with the previous year. In 2023, the state supported the distribution of more than 160,000 doses of Narcan were distributed. The state’s Treatment Access Program also allows those without health insurance to enter residential treatment, and the Recovery Ready certification helps communities support residents who are seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction.

The state is also leading the nation in the number of residential drug and alcohol treatment beds per capita.

The Governor has long been proponent for second chances and signed an executive order on his third day in office to automatically restore the voting rights to Kentuckians who have completed their sentences for nonviolent, nonsexual offenses and have paid their debt to society. Now more than 194,703 Kentuckians’ rights have been restored.