Via press release
Legislation aimed at expanding prison-based education and job-training programs proven to reduce crime was filed by Representative Jennifer Decker today. The bill, HB 5, would lead to the development of a model vocational campus at a state prison, allowing up to 400 eligible and qualified inmates to enroll in high-intensity education and workforce training while completing their full sentence.
“Kentuckians expect us to be serious about public safety,” Decker said. “By pairing accountability with preparation, this proposal helps ensure that people leave prison with the skills needed to succeed and keep our communities safer.”
The initiative builds on the existing partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and the Department of Corrections (DOC), which currently links inmate education to real employment opportunities and has contributed to Kentucky’s declining recidivism rate.
KCTCS President Ryan Quarles said the proposal builds on existing education efforts within the prison system and supports the state’s workforce development goals.
“Solving Kentucky’s workforce needs is what KCTCS does every day. I want to thank Representative Decker for her work on this important legislation over the last year and House leadership for making this a priority for the 2026 session. HB 5 builds on the often unheralded work of KCTCS colleges working in 14 state prisons and several county jails across Kentucky with a bold proposal that accelerates workforce development.” said Ryan Quarles, President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. “In partnership with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, this new model would establish an education and workforce training campus inside a correctional facility. We believe this work will become a national model, putting Kentucky’s community college system on the map in providing successful reentry ramps that reduce recidivism, strengthen our workforce pipeline in appropriate, critical shortage areas, and generate long-term savings for taxpayers.”
Decker and Quarles cited Michigan’s Vocational Villages Program as a model. Michigan’s overall recidivism rate has fallen to 21%, and to 12% among individuals who completed the vocational program. Michigan’s first Vocational Village opened in 2016. People in the program are housed together in one prison unit designed to support learning, structure and personal growth.
By living with other inmates who share the goal of improving their lives through education and job training, participants are part of a focused environment. Being housed together allows them to talk about what they are learning, eat meals together, and take part in other programs and activities while incarcerated.
Participants spend full days in training and classroom instruction designed to resemble a normal workday outside prison. They earn state and nationally recognized certifications in their trade, helping them transition directly into jobs when they are released.
Under HB 5, the proposed vocational prison program would offer industry-recognized credentials, hands-on training, and employer engagement. Eligible participants would complete the remainder of their sentences while gaining high-demand skills and transition directly into the workforce upon release.
“This approach delivers measurable results,” Decker said. “Nearly everyone who enters the prison system will eventually return to their communities, and programs that provide skills and credentials help reduce repeat offenses, strengthen families and lower long-term costs for taxpayers.”
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