Kentucky announces 'Prison to Work Pipeline' to get former offenders into jobs

Kentucky is launching a program to have jobs lined up for people leaving prison in an effort to meet employer demands for workers and give ex-offenders a better chance at succeeding in the workplace.

Called the "Prison to Work Pipeline," the program will connect inmates with potential employers through virtual interviews so that they can leave prison or jail with a job already waiting.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced the program Monday at a news conference, joined by Ashli Watts, CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which will work to recruit prospective employers willing to hire such individuals.

"Folks, 95% of the state's inmate population will be released from incarceration at some point," Beshear said. "To keep our communities safer and reduce the chance of some returning to prison, we need to ensure there is a good-paying job for the best possibility of success."

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Kentucky has about 10,240 state inmates in its 13 prisons and another 9,600 housed in 18 county jails.

With unemployment at a record low of 3.9% and the baby boomer generation retiring, Beshear said the state needs many more workers as it continues to add new jobs, 80,000 in the past 12 months.

Watts said the Chamber of Commerce wants to expand workforce participation at a time when Kentucky has about 160,000 jobs open but only about 80,000 people actively seeking employment.

The chamber already has about 1,000 of its members helping provide "second chance" employment to former inmates and is seeking to recruit more, Watts said.

"We really need to make sure every Kentuckian who wants to work is able to do so," Watts said.

Kentucky's workforce participation rate currently is about 58%, she said.

Beshear, at the news conference, highlighted one employer, Florida Tile, of Lawrenceburg, which is participating in the program and recently hired Bobby Newberry as a senior order processor.

In a video, Newberry said he got the job after obtaining his GED while in prison and participating in a pilot of the Prison to Work Pipeline at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in Oldham County.

He described the program as "awesome" and encouraged others still incarcerated to sign up for it as soon as it becomes available.

"They'll help you," Newberry said.

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The project also is available at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women and will be expanded statewide in 2023.

Kassandra Lutter, a human resources official with Florida Tile, said the project is about more than hiring a former inmate.

"It's not just about giving them a job," she said. "It's giving them a chance to remake their lives."

The state also is offering a new virtual job skills program to help incarcerated people better understand the demands of the workplace and how to respond to potential employers in interviews.

Kerry Harvey, the state's Justice and Public Safety Secretary, said the Corrections Department has long offered educational and job training. But the new project is meant to improve outcomes by having employment ready for an inmate upon release.

"The goal is to have inmates have a job offer and be ready to start to work the day they walk out of the gate," he said.

More information is available through the Corrections Department or the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Contact reporter Deborah Yetter at dyetter@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @d_yetter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Prison to Work' plan aims to bolster Kentucky workforce