Pulaski County Detention Center will use funds to purchase presentation equipment for training center
The Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) has received $5,000 in special project funding from Operation UNITE that it donated Monday to the Pulaski County Detention Center to enhance its growing inmate re-entry program.
The funding, which UNITE gives to community coalitions twice annually through an application process, will be used to purchase presentation technology equipment for the jail’s new workforce and re-entry center.
Pulaski County Jailer Anthony McCollum said the equipment will elevate the educational experience inside the jail’s new training center, a 6,000-square-foot, once-empty warehouse renovated by inmates where re-entry candidates are earning technical skills and certifications they will use as employees of local manufacturing facilities upon release.
“This program continues to grow and change lives, and we are grateful to organizations like SPEDA and Operation UNITE that see the value of the work we are doing here,” McCollum said. “Drug offenses are a huge contributor to our inmate population. The hope is that the knowledge and skills we equip these individuals with will make them productive members of society and less likely to return to a life of substance abuse and crime. Our approach is working and is greatly enhanced by the funding we’ve received today.”
Because the Pulaski County Detention Center (PCDC) was one of the most overcrowded jails in the state when McCollum was elected and building a new facility would come at too high of a cost to taxpayers, he chose to take a different approach: Create a re-entry program to relieve overcrowding while strengthening the local workforce and offering second chances to those inmates with the work ethic and determination to change their lives.
The program — CRITICAL, or Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Inmates Transforming Individuals, Community and Livelihoods — launched in November 2019. A partnership between PCDC, SPEDA and several other organizations, CRITICAL offers soft skills and technical training to qualifying inmates at the jail, allowing them to complete certifications, gain employment and earn money before being released. CRITICAL also helps inmates secure important documents they often find themselves without when released, like birth certificates, identification and Social Security cards.
Once they complete the program, many of these inmates have a job, and a new lease on life, waiting for them when they are released. To date, 34 inmates have graduated from this program, which has become a model for re-entry statewide. Of those 34, only two have returned to the Pulaski County Detention Center — a low 5.8 percent recidivism rate compared to the state average of 27.15 percent.
As drugs are one of the highest causes of incarceration in Kentucky and specifically, its 5th Congressional District, which Operation UNITE serves, innovation is necessary to curb overcrowding and prevent reuse after release, said Tom Vicini, president and CEO of Operation UNITE. This is at the core of his organization’s work — U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers created Operation UNITE in 2003 as an innovative, comprehensive approach to combating substance abuse and misuse in response to the opioid epidemic plaguing his district.
“Kentucky jailers estimate that between 75 percent and 80 percent of their inmates are incarcerated because of drug-related offenses,” Vicini said. “Upon release, these men and women often face substantial barriers to reclaiming productive lives – usually related to transportation and employment issues – along with their life-long struggle to maintain sobriety.
“Operation UNITE’s primary focus is to prevent substance misuse from ever occurring. However, eliminating barriers to recovery is also an important part of a comprehensive response to the drug problem,” Vicini continued. “The Pulaski County Detention Center’s CRITICAL initiative is a proactive response that is already showing positive results. Operation UNITE is pleased to be able to assist Jailer Anthony McCollum in reaching not only inmates but those in treatment recovery programs in Pulaski County.”
SPEDA President and CEO Chris Girdler said his organization has been honored to support the re-entry program since its inception, as it is a critical component in building a strong workforce. SPEDA has assisted in funding soft skills training and initially purchased the warehouse that now houses the training facility, allowing PCDC to lease-to-own the building over two years.
“We will continue to explore every avenue possible to find funding for this phenomenal program,” Girdler said. “Part of economic development is building a strong workforce, and building a strong workforce must include opportunities for people of all walks of life. We are proud to be a part of this program, which is doing just that, and providing second chances to a motivated group of incarcerated men and women who want to change their lives. I can’t imagine any workforce development program more powerful. We offer our sincerest gratitude to UNITE for contributing to the cause.”