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Correctional education, job fairs and tree‑trimming apprenticeships highlighted as reentry tools
Summary
Ingram State Technical College and district attorneys described training and hiring initiatives — from cosmetology licensure taken inside prisons to second‑chance job fairs that produced immediate hires — as proven ways to reduce recidivism and accelerate returning citizens into employment.
Annette Funderburk, president of Ingram State Technical College, told the commission that the college now consolidates correctional education across the state and partners with Pardon and Parole and day‑reporting centers to build a prison‑to‑work pipeline.
"For every $1 that is spent on correctional education, taxpayers gain $1.70 in added tax revenue and public sector savings, and society gains $15.70 in added income and social savings," Funderburk said, summarizing the economic argument for vocational training in correctional settings.
Funderburk highlighted programs that train incarcerated students in trades and certification programs — from forklift operation and HVAC EPA certificates to cosmetology testing inside secure facilities — and described a PARCC reentry pilot that offers work‑skills training 90 days before release and helps with transitional needs such as first‑week housing and transportation.
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr described practical employment efforts that complement those education programs. Carr recounted an early second‑chance job fair where 414 returning citizens attended and 111 were hired on the spot, saying the event demonstrated how employment opportunities can change people’s trajectories and lower future criminal activity.
The commission also heard about a utility tree‑trimming apprenticeship run in partnership with private firms; a video and participant remarks emphasized the training’s technical skills and its role in placing graduates into immediate jobs on release. Ingram State cited retention and credentialing metrics — an 83% retention rate in one cohort and increasing enrollments and employer partnerships — as evidence that the approach can be scaled.
Speakers urged further interagency cooperation to expand these models and connect education, workforce development and parole supervision to ensure graduates have stable employment on day one of release.
