Governor Laura Kelly joined officials from the Kansas Department of Corrections of Friday to celebrate the opening of the state's first substance use recovery and work release unit in Kansas prisons.

 

 The new unit is located in the East Campus of the Lansing Correctional Facility and will serve as a comprehensive re-entry program to help provide inmates the life skills they will need to return to society after serving their time.

 

The 200-bed minimum-security program is designed to provide more than the usual 28-day program and will instead provide inmates with six months of classes to promote pro-social behavior and to instill good habits.

 

Governor Kelly stated that effective rehabilitation and recovery services are key to breaking the cycle of addiction and crime. The first residents in the program are expected to arrive at the new Lansing facility this week.