by Patrick Baumgartner
The Second Chance Risk Reduction Center program by the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission aims to help returning citizens break free from the cycle of poverty and incarceration.
After serving sentences in the U.S. prison system, returning citizens often face prejudice. Many have argued that correctional facilities emphasize punishment instead of rehabilitation.
Britney Peterson, a member of The Second Chance Risk Reduction Center board, said this attitude affects the mindset of the general public, creating biases towards returning citizens who have served their debt to society.
“I think there is still a lot of community stigma around what it means to have a felony on your background, what it means to spend time in prison and even what it means to go on a re-entry journey,” Peterson explained. “Stigma is a big factor in transitioning in that way, because if community, employers and even social service programs have a preconceived notion of who someone is it really stunts the ability of people to build that self-efficacy and to feel like they are a part of a community when they are coming home.”
It’s difficult for the general public to look past returning citizens’ previous mistakes and see their humanity. These individuals often find themselves in vulnerable positions where the opportunities for a better life are closed off to them.
Jim Echols, CEO of Renaissance Management & Training Solutions, which specializes in helping connect returning citizens to vital resources, shared about hurdles returning citizens often face.
“I think the biggest challenge is the insecurities that many returning citizens bring with them when they reenter society,” Echols said. “Their potential lack of skills and so on can make them feel less marketable for employment, and there is still a degree of reservation on the part of many small and large employers to provide that opportunity. So between the two it’s quite a challenge with a lot of psychological overlay.”
According to the Crime Commission, as of 2021 the Second Chance program has helped more than 12,000 returning citizens reintegrate into public society. Five percent of people who go through the program reoffend, compared to the state average of 43 percent. After the program, 83 percent of participants found stable employment. The program has saved taxpayers $40.5 million every year on incarceration costs.
“Depending on when and how long they’ve been incarcerated, when they return, reintegration in some cases can be problematic,” Echols explained. “The important thing is to get the individual engaged in education and/or training and for prospective employers to be receptive to the opportunity.”
Echols said he understands why some employers have reservations, with limited or no returning citizens as part of their current employment workforce.
“There are a lot of unknowns, and that’s why it’s good to have organizations such as Renaissance and Reaching Out From Within and Second Chance to serve as a kind of sponsorship,” Echols said. “They provide a reference to help the individuals reintegrate with prospective employers.”
The nonprofit that offers the Second Chance program, the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission — founded in 1949 — works with law enforcement and city officials through many other programs such as the SAFE program helping families of first responders who died in the line of duty. It also offers the Metropolitan Community Service Program, helping citizens repay debts to society through community service rather than incarceration.
Peterson explained that the Second Chance program still faces challenges when it comes to fulfilling its mission.
“Lack of funding is always a big problem in the nonprofit world,” Peterson explained. “Grants dictate what we can and cannot do. We are highly respected as maybe the best reentry program in the Kansas City community, but we would like to increase our output, we’d like to do more.”
By offering career training for returning citizens and connecting them with housing resources and prospective employers, the Second Chance Risk Reduction Center has a measurable positive impact in both Missouri and Kansas.
