A reentry center opened December 13 inside the Tipton Correctional Center. In the Reentry Center, offenders nearing release can search for and apply for jobs; explore education opportunities; get help navigating child support processes; participate in computer concepts training; and sign up for social services such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Missouri’s Medicaid program (MO HealthNet).

The Reentry Center at Tipton Correctional Center is a collaboration among reentry partners including the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the Central Workforce Development Board, the Department of Social Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Vocational Rehabilitation, Missouri community colleges, and State Technical College of Missouri.

Access to these services helps boost employment success while reducing risk and recidivism, making Missouri safer.

The APPLIE (About Persons with Past Legal Issues in Employment) program at Ozark Correctional Center, through a partnership with the the Missouri Career Center, gives offenders the opportunity to prepare for the work world and to complete in-person interviews with employers, sometimes securing jobs before the offender is released.

In the classes, participants learn skills like filling out resumes, using modern day technology and transportation, and how to talk with employers openly about their past. At the end of the course, participants are given street clothes to not only boost their confidence, but also look the part during interviews with potential employers.