{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-197.290","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 197.290","heading":"Kentucky Community and Technical College System Prison Education","body":"Program -- Location -- Program availability to inmates -- Responsibilities of\ndepartment and KCTCS -- Administrative regulations -- Program\nrequirements.\n(1) The Kentucky Commun ity and Technical College System Prison Education\nProgram, or KCTCS Prison Education Program, is hereby established within the\ndepartment to provide inmates with intensive, hands-on job training in high-demand\nworkforce sectors.\n(2) The department shall en ter into a memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky\nCommunity and Technical College System (KCTCS) as defined in KRS 164.001 in\naccordance with KRS 197.292 to provide academic instruction for the program.\n(3) (a) The program established in subsection (1) of this section shall be located on\nthe grounds of the Northpoint Training Center.\n(b) The department shall:\n1. Manage facility operations, including operations related to safety and\nsecurity;\n2. Be responsible for all maintenance and repair of the facilit y, utilities,\nand facility supplies; and\n3. Provide inmate transportation to the facility, inmate meals and food\nservices, and inmate housing that is segregated from the general prison\npopulation.\n(4) The program shall not be available to an inmate serving a sentence:\n(a) Of imprisonment for life without possibility of parole;\n(b) For escape or attempted escape; or\n(c) For a sex crime as defined in KRS 17.500.\n(5) (a) The department shall be responsible for the identification of candidates for the\nprogram, including recruitment and selection, in accordance with the\nrestrictions set forth in subsection (4) of this section and as determined by the\ndepartment.\n(b) Selection of candidates for the program shall include consideration of:\n1. Established security criteria;\n2. Industry guidance for second-chance employment; and\n3. The capacity of academic instructors to provide industry -recommended\nand high-need training.\n(6) An inmate who is selected and meets eligibil ity requirements shall be transported\nby the department to the Northpoint Training Center facility.\n(7) The department shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with\nKRS Chapter 13A relating to:\n(a) The selection and eligibility of inmates for the program, including but not\nlimited to the following criteria:\n1. The inmate's academic background;\n2. Vocational counseling or testing that indicates the inmate has an interest\nor aptitude for a particular trade; and\n3. The inmate's willingness to abide by the attendance, academic, and\nbehavioral requirements of the program;\n(b) The terms and conditions under which inmates may continue in the program;\n(c) The adequate care, supervision, guarding, disciplining, maintenance,\ntransportation, and housing of inmates when assigned to the program;\n(d) Availability and accessibility of post -release services, including consideration\nof education and employment requirements in administering terms of\nprobation and parole;\n(e) The collection of data to include:\n1. The number of inmates:\na. Participating in the program who receive an offer of employment\nprior to release;\nb. Who successfully complete the program;\nc. Who obtained employment following participation in the program;\nand\nd. Who were unsuccessful and the  reason for removal from the\nprogram; and\n2. Following completion of the program and release from the facility, the\nnumber of inmates with:\na. Successful completion of parole;\nb. A violation of parole;\nc. A return to prison as a result of a parole violation and the date the\ninmate returned; and\nd. A return to prison as a result of the commission of a new offense;\n(f) Requirements of KCTCS employees, including:\n1. Compliance with the department's institution al safety and facilities\nmanagement policies and procedures; and\n2. Participation in the department's drug -testing program, including\nrandom screenings and tests based upon reasonable suspicion of drug or\nalcohol impairment, as determined by the warden of the institution, and\nat the cost of the department if the test is administered at a department\nfacility by a department vendor;\n(g) Policies to permit remote instruction or services during emergencies or\npandemics, consistent with department and health adv isories of the\nCommonwealth; and\n(h) Any other regulations the department deems necessary and appropriate to\ncarry out the requirements of this section.\n(8) Hours of classroom instruction shall model, to the extent possible, an average\nworkday similar to w hat the inmate can expect to experience in employment upon\nrelease.\n(9) Instruction shall occur outside of any area accessible by the general population of\nthe facility and inmates participating in the program shall be segregated from the\ngeneral prison population at all times.\n(10) Potential employers shall have the opportunity to recruit and interview potential\nemployees prior to parole.\n(11) KCTCS shall:\n(a) Construct a facility on the grounds of Northpoint Training Center to provide\nacademic instruction  for the prison education program established in this\nsection;\n(b) Upon completion of the facility construction under paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection, deed the facility to the department which will bear responsibility\nfor management, operations, security,  and maintenance. The details of the\nprison education program will be jointly determined by the department and\nKCTCS outlined in a memorandum of agreement between the parties;\n(c) Retain ownership, maintenance, and responsibility for all equipment related to\nacademic instruction within the prison education program;\n(d) Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws;\n(e) Enter into and maintain all appropriate confidentiality and data protection\nagreements, including nondisclosure forms , for all academic instruction\nemployees accessing Commonwealth data;\n(f) Provide academic instruction within the facility and all components required\nfor instruction, including a learning management system; and\n(g) Determine program placement with regard to a participant's academic\nreadiness.\n(12) This section shall not be interpreted to:\n(a) Create or confer upon any inmate any private right or benefit; or\n(b) Limit the discretion of the department in determining and maintaining\noperational and security requirements of the department.","path":["KRS Chapter 197"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57418","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:50Z","sha256":"71ad03d433dcf577e81f409c3bc72c6435458fbd94a91f1ec057ea057673aba3","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-197.280","next":"us-ky/krs-197.292"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}