FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed two executive orders Wednesday centered around employing inmates after release and improving working conditions for correctional officers.
According to a news release from the Office of the Governor, Governor Braun signed Executive Order 25-46, titled Improving Opportunity and Reducing Recidivism by Improving the Path for Reentry within the Department of Correction. This order attempts to limit the number of offenders who continue to commit crimes. The Governor believes that a key factor in this is the lack of employment opportunities for individuals after their release. The news release states that former inmates who are unable to maintain employment within three years or release reoffend at a rate of 52% as opposed to the 16% who do.
Another reason cited was housing. The release states that 50% of inmates who are released as homeless are more likely to re-offend. This executive order is said to improve pathways for former inmates and will work with community partners to obtain temporary housing for those individuals upon release.
“Hoosiers are safer when inmates have a clear pathway toward gainful employment and stable housing after they are released,” said Gov. Braun. “This executive order aims to lower the reoffending rate by helping formerly incarcerated individuals find work and avoid homelessness.”
The other Executive Order 25-47, titled Promoting Public Safety and Prison Security by Directing the Indiana Department of Correction to Implement Strategies to Improve Employee Retention, aims to help Department of Correction employees. The release states that members of the department in 21 facilities across the state handle more than 24,000 inmates and more than 7,000 parolees. The release states that due to the amount of danger, burnout, and high stress levels of the job, members of the Department of Correction are getting more benefits to improve job retention.
The ways they are doing this include:
- Establishing benchmarks and quarterly reports related to employee turnover, with a breakdown by facility, parole district, business unit, and shift assignment to identify areas for improvement.
- Evaluating onboarding and training practices, including establishing a four-week ‘pre-service’ academic program followed by on-the-job training.
- Developing a comprehensive retention plan using employee surveys and exit interviews to gather feedback on working conditions and refine retention strategies.
“Our corrections officers have a really tough job and do it exceptionally well,” said Gov. Braun. “Today, I’m taking action to make sure we retain our great correctional employees with a comprehensive approach to employee retention: we’ll be improving training, listening to employees’ feedback on their work environment and leadership effectiveness, and using data to identify high turnover areas where we can improve.”
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