Kansas — A collaborative effort among several state and private partners, including the Kansas Department of Corrections and Cowley College, resulted in a new vocational program for offenders in the Winfield Correctional Facility, reported The Winfield Daily Courier. The program, called AeroStructures Technology, trains offenders on site for employment in sheet metal manufacturing jobs. Training for the 14-week program is conducted by Cowley College, and graduates can work toward a Manufacturing Skills certificate, a Sheet Metal certificate and an Overall AeroStructures Technician certificate.

Offenders, though not eligible for employment at any company with federal contracts, can work for small subcontractors upon program completion. Once program graduates enter the work force, they can acquire experience in various manufacturing assembly operations; learn basic and complex structural repair functions; and advance to lead or inspection positions in manufacturing or service companies. Funding for the program is provided by Arbor Education & Training and the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Michigan — Drug court programs, which place nonviolent offenders in drug and alcohol therapy, suffered a significant drop in funding this year. According to The Detroit News, Michigan drug courts requested $5 million in funds but were only awarded $2 million statewide. This loss will limit treatment options for offenders, cause staff cut-backs and increase the fees offenders pay to participate in the programs.

Drug courts have become popular across the nation, especially in Michigan where an additional nine programs began in 2007. Proponents of the courts claim their 12- to 18-month therapy programs reduce recidivism and, therefore, should be adequately funded by the state. The intensive programs can be costly as they call for constant drug and alcohol testing, sobriety counseling and court reporting. According to Marcia McBrien, “The problem is there are too many programs applying and not enough funds to go around.” She is the spokeswoman for the Michigan Supreme Court, which oversees the programs and financing.

Ohio — Voters from Hamilton County neglected to pass, for the second time, a plan to raise the sales tax to pay for a new jail, reported The Cincinnati Enquirer. The vote — defeated 56 percent to 44 percent — was split across racial and party lines, with only 33 percent of voters living in predominately black precincts approving the tax as opposed to 45 percent from predominately white precincts. An analysis also found that Republicans were slightly more likely to approve the tax than Democrats.

Cincinnati NAACP President Christopher Smitherman lobbied against the tax, claiming opponents favor alternative ways to ease jail overcrowding and make the community safer. Some of his suggestions included expanding home incarceration programs, shortening the wait in jail before a trial, and eliminating or shortening jail time for some low-level offenses.

Washington — A new building designed to house some of the state’s most dangerous offenders opened on the grounds of the Monroe Correctional Complex in October 2007, reported The Seattle Times. The 200-bed prison is for inmates serving solitary confinement and will contain a 100-bed Intensive Management Unit (IMU) for inmates who are repeatedly violent and destructive. A separate segregation wing of the building is for inmates serving short-term punishment. Previously, Monroe and other Washington facilities have had to send their unruly offenders to Walla Walls and other IMU facilities. Monroe will now have the largest intensive-management facility in the state.

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