09/06/2023 - Jefferson City, MO
A report issued today by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick
raises questions about the efficacy of a vocational enterprise program created
to prepare offenders for success in the workplace upon release. The audit of
the Missouri Vocational Enterprise (MVE) Program operated by the Missouri
Department of Corrections (DOC) reveals a troubling picture of a program that
is lacking in oversight and failing to prioritize job training for offenders
who will return to the workforce the soonest.
"The purpose of this program is to help released
prisoners integrate back into society by teaching them a marketable skill -
benefiting them and their communities. Unfortunately, the department seems to
have prioritized building a stable workforce of long-term offenders rather than
supporting the program's intended purpose of helping offenders gain the skills
they need to find jobs when they leave prison," said Auditor Fitzpatrick.
"There is no doubt the MVE program can have significant benefits for our
state, but the Department of Corrections needs to implement corrective measures
to realign the administration of the program with its goal of training
individuals who will have an opportunity to use their skills outside of the
correctional system."
The MVE program currently operates 22 facilities employing
892 offenders in 12 institutions housing 23,065 offenders. The audit found the
hiring practices for the program have favored long-term offenders resulting in
approximately 35 percent of participants having more than 10 expected years on their
sentences, including 24 percent of participants with more than 20 expected
years remaining and 18 percent of participants with 40 or more expected years
remaining. Less than half (49 percent) of the offenders in the program are
expected to be released in the next five years.
The audit also identifies an issue with the DOC locating
program facilities primarily in institutions with longer remaining sentences
and higher security levels. The report notes that all seven of the seven
institutions with an average remaining sentence of eight years or more have at
least one program facility. Included in that are four institutions with an
average remaining sentence of greater than 30 years. In contrast, only five of
the 12 facilities with an average remaining sentence of less than five years
have an MVE facility. As a result, a significant number of offenders do not
have access to program jobs and skills training.
Additionally, the audit notes 21 of the 22 program facilities
are at full capacity, which means no positions are currently available for
short-term offenders in the majority of program facilities. Even more
problematic, because the program has an overrepresentation of long-term
offenders, fewer openings will become available in the near future.
Another significant finding in the audit highlights the
failure of DOC officials to analyze industry demand projections to ensure the
program provides training in areas that are in demand in the private sector.
According to data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center
(MERIC), 64 percent of offenders hired by the program are being trained in
industries projected to have declining demand. Twenty-eight percent of
enrollees are being trained in apparel manufacturing, which is the fastest
declining industry in terms of individuals employed based on MERIC projections.
Other findings in the report include a lack of adequate
planning and oversight of the program; a lack of guidance from the Advisory
Board of Vocational Enterprises Program because key vacancies have not been
filled; a failure to establish performance measures to track the effectiveness
of the program, and a failure to report program performance to the legislature.
The report also notes the DOC has not developed a strategic planning process to
drive program decisions. Additionally, DOC officials need to improve financial
practices and controls of program operations and improve procedures to track
manufacturing costs and allocate indirect expenses.
The complete audit can be found here.
