Beshear Administration Officials Join Kentucky Community & Technical College System in Presenting Proposal for a New Specialized Reentry Campus

The innovative initiative will generate major economic investments with qualified ready-to-work employees

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2025) - Today, members of the Beshear-Coleman administration joined Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) President Ryan Quarles to present to the General Assembly a vision for a specialized prison education and reentry campus, which would be one of the first of its kind in the nation and make Kentucky a national model.

The proposal seeks funding for a reentry campus at Northpoint Training Center that would serve up to 400 inmates through targeted vocational technical education programs provided by KCTCS. The plan would also provide intensive reentry services to prepare inmates for jobs upon release. The selective program would require inmates from across Kentucky's 14 state prisons to qualify and apply for participation and to maintain good behavior and success if selected. Upon selection, inmates would be enrolled as students in KCTCS and be offered vocational training in industries that support Kentucky's booming economy.

"My faith teaches me the importance of second chances, and this joint, bipartisan initiative is one that improves second chance opportunities, boosts public safety, and helps us fill vital positions across our economy," Gov. Beshear said. "This public safety and workforce development initiative will continue making a safer New Kentucky Home that works for all its people and keeps our homes, communities, churches and workplaces safe."

Under Gov. Beshear's leadership, Kentucky has secured historically low recidivism rates, with nearly 70% of people released from state custody over the past two years not being re-incarcerated. Nearly 95% of those in state custody will return to their communities upon completion of their sentences. As the Governor has previously stated, if inmates leaving state custody are prepared to participate in the economy and in society while providing for their families, not only will they be less likely to reoffend, but we will be able to end generational cycles of crime, reducing the number of Kentuckians who will become victims.

"In partnership with the Department of Corrections, KCTCS is excited to propose a model prison education program that builds on our current work across Kentucky to reduce recidivism and expand workforce training," KCTCS President Quarles said. "Over the next 10 years, Kentucky will need to fill more than 2 million jobs to keep up with labor market demand, and this is an opportunity to expand education and help meet our state's growing workforce needs."

While presenting today to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, the Department of Corrections made clear the benefits of this proposal:

• Preventing a return to prison is key to reducing prison population, reducing costs for the commonwealth and local communities across the state and improving the safety of Kentucky's communities.
• Fewer offenses mean fewer victims in the commonwealth, not only saving law enforcement resources, but also making sure fewer families know the pain of victimization.
• Kentucky has one of the highest rates of children who have or have had a parent who was incarcerated. By improving the success of parents, generational cycles of crime can be broken, outcomes can be improved for generations and burdens on the adult and juvenile justice systems can be eased.
• Vocational training and education increase post-release employment and earnings, leading to more tax revenue for the commonwealth and a lower dependence on public benefits.

"Good-paying jobs and the dignity of work are essential to preventing individuals from reoffending, making our communities safer and keeping families whole," Department of Corrections Commissioner Cookie Crews said. "Not only does this proposal meet our mission, but it has the added benefit of providing qualified, ready-to-work employees for businesses across our commonwealth as we continue to see historic economic investment in our state."

To watch the presentation today to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, click here.

By working together, Team Kentucky is building a better commonwealth full of opportunities for all Kentuckians.

The Governor has announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth decreased three years in a row, with 2024 seeing a 30.8% decrease compared with the previous year.  Gov. Beshear continued this progress earlier this week by scheduling 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I narcotic, making it illegal to sell, possess or distribute any isolated or concentrated forms of 7-OH in the state.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $43 billion in announced investments, creating more than 63,600 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth's history and $20 billion more than the next highest total.

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

To build on these successes, the Governor is focused on investing in reentry programs that improve second chance opportunities for those leaving state custody.

The Governor announced in September that his administration is continuing to expand career and technical education opportunities throughout the state prison system. The Department of Corrections has added 14 different technical education courses in prisons across Kentucky in less than a year, and by the end of the year, 26 total courses will be available for inmates to prepare them for employment upon release.

Each of Kentucky's 14 state prisons has established its own reentry center. The centers operate inside the prisons and deliver focused life-skills training designed to prepare inmates for success upon release.

On Oct. 17, 2024, the Governor signed an executive order establishing the Governor's Council of Second Chance Employers, comprising 15 business and community leaders.

In April 2024, Gov. Beshear announced a new website to help Kentuckians seeking a second chance find a job, get an education or continue recovery. The site also connects business leaders with resources to help them hire second-chance talent.

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