Each year, more than 8,500 people are released from Colorado state prisons after serving their sentence. According to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, nearly half of the people released return to prison within three years for various reasons. And that figure means that Colorado’s got one of the highest rates of recidivism in the country.
Happening alongside that is the ongoing worker shortage across the state. State leaders are hearing a lot of concern from business owners, many of whom are having trouble finding people to fill job openings.
Last week, Attorney General Phil Weiser unveiled a new $1.1 million initiative with the intention of helping both of these issues. The new public/private initiative will invest into reentry services and develop a network of employers willing to hire those who are recently released.
The Colorado Sun's Tatiana Flowers joined Colorado Edition to talk about the new initiative and its potential to reduce recidivism.