Private Industries
Workforce Innovation for Kansas Businesses
Partner with Kansas Correctional Industries
A Strategic Production Solution
A Proven Public Safety Investment
Kansas employers are navigating workforce shortages, rising hiring costs, and increasing demand for responsible business leadership. Kansas Correctional Industries (KCI), operating under the Kansas Department of Corrections, offers a structured public-private partnership that strengthens your production capacity while delivering measurable community impact.
Through partnership models aligned with the federal Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP), KCI connects businesses with a trained, supervised workforce operating within secure correctional facilities across the state.
Why Partner with KCI?
Reliable Workforce Access
- Structured schedules and supervised work environments
- Screened and trained participants
- Consistent production oversight and quality control
Expand Capacity Without Expanding Overhead
- Manufacturing & assembly
- Packaging & distribution support
- Wood & metal fabrication
- Textiles & sewn products
- Industrial production operations
Scale output without expanding facilities, recruitment pipelines, or infrastructure.
Proven Kansas Outcomes
Employment Impact
- Residents employed in industry jobs for six months or longer are 25% more likely to secure a living-wage job after release.
- 46% of industry program completers maintain steady employment one year after release, compared to 15% of non-participants.
Public Safety Impact
- Moderate-risk participants demonstrate an 87.5% recidivism success rate over two years.
- Higher-risk participants also show improved outcomes compared to non-participants.
With more than 1,300 residents working in correctional and private industries statewide, KCI plays a critical role in workforce preparation and community reintegration.
Private Business Benefits
- Access to a motivated, stable and flexible labor pool
- Reduced recruitment and turnover costs
- Reasonable wages (Lower cost of benefits)
- Federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) of $2400 per resident
- No Federal or State Unemployment Taxes
- Affordable production spaces
- Potential future employees upon release from KDOC
- Measurable corporate social responsibility impact
- Contribution to safer Kansas communities
Approximately 98% of incarcerated individuals return to Kansas communities. Employment is one of the strongest predictors of successful reintegration.
Partnering with KCI aligns operational efficiency with long-term economic stability.
Build a Stronger Business — and a Stronger Kansas
For partnership inquiries:
Kansas Correctional Industries
Richard O'Donnell
by phone: (913) 727-3249
or email: RIchard.ODonnell@ks.gov