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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Life After Prison: Missouri Confab Focus

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Friday, November 16, 2018   

UPDATE: On Wednesday, 11/14, President Donald Trump indicated support for a prison reform bill observers believe has a chance for bipartisan Congressional passage which includes improving rehabilitation programs.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – When Missouri hosted its first conference to address how to ease societal impacts when people get out of prison, about 40 people attended. This week, more than 600 people are on hand for the 13th annual, sold-out event.

Conference founder Wendell Kimbrough is chief executive officer with the Area Resources for Community and Human Services, known as ARCHS. He says it's the one time each year the state Corrections Department sits down with all the organizations that have a stake in reentry success, to determine if what they're doing is making a difference for ex-offenders in several key areas.

"Helping them reengage with family, helping them reengage spiritually, and then most importantly, help them find a job that will allow them to become a contributing member of society," says Kimbrough.

Kimbrough says ARCHS operates nine programs that serve people released from prison, with the goal of increasing their earnings and public safety, and decreasing recidivism. Missouri's Kids Count program notes that children with a parent in prison have higher rates of homelessness and poor developmental outcomes – which reinforces the need for these programs and services.

Kimbrough says everyone makes mistakes in life, but most get a second chance, and he believes the same should apply to people convicted of a crime. To do that, Missouri has multiple organizations that teach trade skills and offer educational classes in prisons.

Kimbrough adds that reentering society also involves learning "soft skills," such as how to interview for a job.

"How to dress properly for an interview, how to manage your anger when you disagree with someone or when someone speaks in a harsh tone," says Kimbrough. “Those kind of things absolutely help the person become more successful when they are released."

To improve their chances for success upon release, people in Missouri prisons who haven't earned a high school diploma or equivalency certificate are required by law to participate in adult basic education classes.


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