Beshear: Kentucky recidivism rate decreases for second year in a row

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky’s recidivism rate has reportedly declined for the second consecutive year.

That’s according to Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday, whose office stated nearly 70% of those in state custody over the past two years have not returned to prison.

According to Beshear’s office, in 2023, more than 14,000 inmates were released from state custody, nearly 10,000 of which have not returned.

For those inmates, officials say the current recidivism rate is 30.32%. The governor’s office says this is 0.49% lower than the prior year. According to Beshear’s office, Kentucky defines recidivism as “re-incarceration within 24 months of release from custody.”

“My faith teaches me about the importance of second chances, and in Kentucky, we’re making sure all of our people have the tools they need to succeed,” Beshear said. “What we’re doing is working, and by keeping more Kentuckians from returning to prison, we’re ending generational cycles of crime and making our communities safer for our kids and families.”

The Beshear-Coleman Administration states it has taken several steps to “prepare inmates for success upon release and enhance public safety” by:

• Launching different technical education courses in prisons across the commonwealth for a current total of 35, including a pre-apprenticeship welding program in partnership with Ironworkers Local Union #70, for inmates to prepare for employment upon release. So far, 1,779 inmates have completed at least one course.
• Partnering with Simmons College of Kentucky and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
• Restoring voting rights to 200,250 Kentuckians who have completed their sentences for nonviolent, nonsexual offenses.
• Establishing reentry centers inside each of Kentucky’s 14 state prisons to deliver focused life-skills training.
• Creating the Team Kentucky Office of Reentry Services to continue the important work of supporting second chances and to help maximize, concentrate and better coordinate services and resources across state government.
• Establishing the Governor’s Council of Second Chance Employers, comprising 15 business and community leaders, including Amazon, UPS, DV8 Kitchen and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). The council meets quarterly to promote second chance hiring, improve outcomes for individuals released from incarceration, and reduce recidivism rates in the state.
• Maintaining the website secondchance.ky.gov, which connects Kentuckians overcoming addiction or leaving prison to resources that can help them find a job, get an education, and support their continued recovery.
  Joining members of the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council to launch the Jobs on Day One initiative, which helps inmates prepare for Kentucky’s fast-paced labor market through targeted pre-apprenticeship training.
• Removing barriers to housing and employment for inmates upon release by issuing state identification and offering transportation at no cost to medical appointments, job interviews, educational courses, and probation and parole meetings.
• Recording a nearly 8% decrease in reports of serious crime in Kentucky in 2024.
• Reducing overdose deaths in the commonwealth for three straight years.

In addition, the governor says today’s announcement highlights a need for a new reentry campus at Northpoint Training Center in Burgin.

The proposed campus will provide up to 400 inmates each year with vocational technical education provided by KCTCS in in-demand studies and trades. Beshear’s office states inmates will have to qualify and apply for participation in the reentry campus and maintain good behavior and success if selected.