Governor Laura Kelly, Kansas
“When we look at our correctional system, over 90-95% of those folks are going to be coming back into our Kansas communities. Be a whole lot better to use the time that they are in our system to provide an education, get training, get certificates, get licenses, so that when they come out they are ready to take the jobs that we know are available.”
Joe Reardon, President & CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
“KC Chamber members have told us the importance of reducing crime in our region and we believe one of the most effective strategies the business community can take is leading the conversation on hiring returning citizens. We believe in the importance of restoring dignity to incarcerated individuals through education and jobs training while giving them the tools to succeed when they are released from prison. We have also heard from our business community on the business case for hiring returning citizens. These team members often become the best employees a company has, and often remain the most loyal.”
Deb Kirby, Deb's Cattle Service
"I have had PI workers for over 10 years. I think this program is extremely beneficial in the reintegration of inmates to the workforce and life outside of prison. Many of these individuals have never had a job other than the streets. We try to teach skills that will benefit them wherever they decide to go once released. It also helps them to have some money in their pocket when they get out so they can hopefully get on their feet and not go back to their “old ways”. They get a peek of what life can be like if they make good choices once released."
Dave Cox, Plant Manager, Maico
“As far as reservations as far as hiring people with a felony background, there’s a lot of good guys that just simply made a bad choice at some point. Doesn’t necessarily make them a bad person for the rest of their life.”
If you are an employer interested in hiring KDOC residents, email KDOC_CareerCampus@ks.gov
or call 785-296-3317.
Private Industry Employers (June 3, 2022) | ||
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Aramark - EDCF Aramark - HCF Aramark - TCF Aramark - LCF Aramark - LCMHF Aramark - NCF Aramark - WCF BAC - LCF-Central Barkman Honey - HCF Blue Hill - NCF Cal-Maine - HCF-South Creekstone Farm - WCF Electrex - HCF East Evergreen - HCF Great Plains - ECF Heatron - LCF-East |
Henke - LCF-East Hess - NCF-East Hubco - HCF-East Husky Hogs - NCF Impact Embroidery - EDCF Kansas Protein Foods - HCF KBK Industries - LCMHF Kirby Cattle - LCMHF Kirby Enterprises - LCMHF KMW - HCF Koch - TCF LaCrosse - LCMHF LPF - LCF-Central Maico - ECF Martin Machine & Welding - HCF South |
NFL - TCF Mill Creek - HCF-South Moly - ECF Osborne - NCF Pioneer - EDCF PKM Steel - ECF Polo - TCF Redbarn PIECP and Pet Products - LCMHF Russell Stover - TCF Seat King - HCF-Central Skyline - WCF Wifco - HCF-South Wilkens - NCF-East Zephyr - LCF-East |
KDOC Strategic Plan |
December 2021 Update |
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Our MissionPartnering to Promote Safety and Responsibility through Best PracticesOur VisionTransforming Lives for the Safety of AllKDOC Guiding Framework (pdf)Strategic Plan Implementation (pdf)We will turn this Vision into reality by:
Our Beliefs
|
Under our strategic plan, Pathway for Success, KDOC hasfive Strategic Implementation Teams (SITs) hard at work. The Employee Environment SIT has three sub-teams focusing on various issues, including staff retention and recruitment, staff development and wellness. The Communications SIT has completed a survey and developed a report primarily focusing on staff communication as an initial project. The Population Environment SIT has three sub-teams centered on issues relating to residents within our facilities:
The Resource Deployment SIT has developed and tested a tool at El Dorado for staff to report the condition of computers and chairs and is now working on a plan to launch the tool at all sites. The team also completed a staff survey of the use of CBI (Cognitive Behavior Intervention) techniques, including staff training and effectiveness. This study will help support changes and improvements that will be recommended in the coming year. The final strategic implementation team – Grants and Resource Attainment Literacy SIT – completed a survey of staff and volunteers about how receptive they were to certain tasks being performed by volunteers, residents, parolees or probationers. Based on survey results, the team will develop recommendations on ways to increase efficiency and provide meaningful opportunities for others to become involved in our vision of Transforming Lives for the Safety of All. This is not an all-inclusive list of progress to date! Every team is hard at work gathering data, researching best practices, and more importantly, talking with other staff members on ways we can improve. |
Last fiscal year, OVS provided direct services to 10,242 victims and batterer intervention programming to 227 individuals. There are currently 40,978 victims registered with OVS.
The department has expanded from providing victim notification - the original statutory requirement - to offering liaison services, restorative justice programming and batterer intervention programming.
Learn more about OVS at https://www.doc.ks.gov/victim-services or download the brochure at https://www.doc.ks.gov/victim-services/publications/brochures/ovs-brochure/view
]]>Turner has been working with victims for over 20 years. Described by co-workers as “…a dedicated, kind, and caring advocate who has a tremendous amount of personal and professional integrity,” Turner credits the many victims she has served for much of her success.
“I give credit to the victims I have worked with that contributed to this recognition. They have made me who I am today, listening to each story and teaching me more about life then I could have ever taught them,” she said.
The recognition came during the observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) the week of April 18–24. This marked the 40th anniversary of NCVRW, dedicated to honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s theme - “Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities.” - emphasized the importance of leveraging community partnerships and support to help victims of crime.
Engaging and strengthening partnerships is one of the goals of KDOC’s Strategic Plan, Pathway for Success. Partnerships can be between organizations or between individuals, all working towards a common purpose.
]]>Kansas PRB Chair Jonathan Ogletree was elected as president of APAI during the organization’s meeting. Prior to his most recent APAI election, Ogletree served as the regional vice president (2017) and was later elected vice president of APAI.
Ogletree has been a member of the Kansas PRB since 2011 and was named chair in 2016. He currently serves as a member of the Kansas Sentencing Commission. He began his career at Lansing Correctional Facility as a corrections officer in 1989.
The conference included many opportunities for members to attend sessions on a variety of topics. Audrey Cress, director of KDOC Office of Victim Services, presented a session on vicarious trauma, a shift in world view that can come after being repeatedly exposed to the traumatic experience of others. Individuals who work in the corrections field can develop symptoms similar to PTSD, and the session included strategies to guard against the cumulative effect of exposure to negative information.
APAI exclusively serves parole and releasing authorities, and is a national and international resource and discussion network for the exchange of information within all areas impacting parole. Its mission is to enhance public safety and the recognition of victim rights by being involved with the development of national and international research-based parole policy.
The Kansas PRB is looking forward to hosting next year’s APAI Conference in Kansas City, MO, scheduled for April 2023
]]>If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse in a relationship, there is help available. For a complete listing of resources in Kansas, visit the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) at https://www.kcsdv.org/ or call the Kansas Crisis Hotline at 888.END.ABUSE (888.363.2287). Please also feel free to contact the KDOC Office of Victim Services for more information https://www.doc.ks.gov/victim-services .
]]>“There are really too many for me to name,” said Kansas Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda. “but I would like to highlight one partnership in the Wichita area. While the numbers affected so far may seem small, the impact the program is having is huge.”
The NexStep Unlocked program is affiliated with the NexStep Alliance, and in Kansas it is a partnership between KDOC, Goodwill Industries of Kansas, WSU Tech, Kansas Board of Regents and Workforce Centers of Kansas.
KDOC recommends individuals who are on parole or community corrections for the program, and while the number the program can accommodate is limited, the program is showing some great results.
“They help individuals with education goals, such as completing a high school diploma or career pathway certifications, along with life skills and employment,” Zmuda said.
The fourth group began in January and program grads are currently employed by Harper Trucks, Darling, Ellis Enterprises, Colwich Elevator, Coleman and ICT Wichita.
“Sometimes we tend to focus our measure of success on large numbers or percentages but instead I hope we can remain focused on each person, one at a time,” he said. “A program such as NexStep Unlocked may not be graduating large numbers, but each success story represents one more individual who has been reunited with their loved ones, is a contributing member of their community and is a good neighbor.”
That only happens because of the efforts of key KDOC staff in collaboration with the partners, Zmuda said.
]]>“These grants are all about providing incarcerated persons with tools they need to get back on their feet so that they can be productive members of our state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Education, job skills, and mental health and substance abuse programs are the keys to reducing recidivism in our criminal justice system.”
The four-year grant partners KDOC with the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute (UCCI) in an intensive adult reentry program called Innovations in Reentry Initiative: Building System Capacity and Testing Strategies to Reduce Recidivism.
“One of our greatest priorities is to help our residents gain the skills they need to remain successful once they leave us,” Kansas Department of Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda said.
The grant will also support data collection and evaluation by UCCI on the impact of reentry programs at both facilities.
]]>NCF residents completed 41 of the 58 hand-crafted Prayer Shawls for the project. Mentors were recruited to teach any resident who was approved to participate in the Prayer Shawl community project how to crochet if they did not already know. Residents chose the yarn to use in their project, with many commenting they wanted to do a good deed, have the opportunity to give back to the community, and bring comfort to someone.
The full story includes quotes from several of the residents who participated, and pictures of their final projects. The story ran in a recent edition of the "Norton Telegram" or read the full story on the Norton Correctional Facility Facebook page.
]]>This year’s theme of “Rights, Access, Equity for All Victims” underscores the importance of helping crime survivors by enforcing victims’ rights, expanding access to services and ensuring equity and inclusion for all. Learn more at this website: https://ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2022/overview
]]>Reinhardt had been placed on escape status after he walked away from Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) at approximately 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 30, 2021 after he did not report for work.
At this time no other details are being released as the investigation is ongoing.
The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state facility with a population of 79.
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]]>The program matches a mentor with a resident (aka mentee) who is within six months of his or her release date. The mentor and mentee then continue this relationship for six months after release. Since 2011, KDOC's mentoring program has assisted close to 9,000 individuals.
There are any number of benefits that come from forming a strong relationship with someone in the community prior to release. The mentor becomes part of a critical support team in those early days following release. This can include helping to find items for basic needs, such toothbrushes/toothpaste, blankets/sheets, laundry baskets, toilet paper, cleaning products and dishes for those going into apartments.
For one individual released in early January, the care and consideration shown to him (selecting clothes in his size and delivering them to him, providing personal hygiene items, etc.) prompted a thank you to the mentoring staff and program coordinators. In a recent update to KDOC staff, Kansas Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda shared the message: “I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and bless you for what you’ve done for me it was a fantastic thing. I needed it all so bad. I just wanted you to know that my prayers and thoughts are with you today. Thank you.”
If you are interested in learning more about KDOC mentoring opportunities, please email KDOC_Pub@ks.gov or call (785) 296-3317.
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