Governor Sam Brownback applauds teamwork between Kansas corrections facilities and local communities

Statement

The Governor today issued the following statement recognizing the commitment of corrections facility staff and the importance of the support of local communities.

"We have excellent programs in place that offer help to offenders willing to work hard to build a better life for themselves and their families. Everyone benefits when an inmate successfully completes these programs. An offender leaving the prison system with a skill and the ability to make better choices in his or her life is less likely to re-offend or be a continuing risk to public safety. I had the opportunity to talk with inmates who were learning job skills -- ranging from welding to training dogs as assistance animals -- and in each instance these men were determined to succeed and use those skills to build a better life.

"This week, I talked with one man who was jailed seven times and shot four times before he took advantage of the training and programs offered to him at an adult residential center. Today he is a supervisor at a manufacturing plant. A young lady who found herself in the juvenile justice system turned her life around, successfully obtaining her high school diploma and has just begun her first semester at a community college. That success would not have been possible without the support and guidance of her mentor.

"I am grateful to the men and women across our state who partner with our corrections facilities by participating in mentoring and other skills programs. Their efforts also support the challenging work of all those who work daily within our corrections facilities. Each one of these people is helping to make Kansas a better place."

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