(LEX 18) — Kentucky lawmakers announced plans Wednesday to expand prison education programs that have helped drive down the state's repeat crime rate.

Representative Jennifer Decker and Senator Brandon Storm, both Republicans, said they will file legislation in the 2026 General Assembly to create a model vocational campus at a state prison. The program would allow up to 400 eligible inmates to enroll in intensive education and job training.

The proposal builds on an existing partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Department of Corrections. That collaboration has contributed to Kentucky's declining recidivism rate.

Kentucky measures recidivism as re-incarceration within 24 months of release. The state's two-year rate recently dropped to 30.81%, me

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