When leaving incarceration in Kentucky, too many people are stepping into the hallway of community without the key card to access any of its resources—a photo ID. To meet needs critical to survival and success upon reentry—including housing, employment, nutrition assistance, healthcare, mental health services, and substance use treatment—providers and employers require state-issued photo identification. When people are unable to efficiently obtain the life documents, funds, and transportation needed to receive an ID, the reentry hallway becomes a dead end, and Kentucky suffers. Our state incarceration rate persists as the seventh highest in the nation while our recidivism rate exceeds 40%.

Without investment in foundational supports like an ID program, Kentucky will continue to pay the high budgetary, economic, and social costs of incarceration and recidivism. We must commit to proactive, common-sense strategies to strengthen our state and its residents. Please complete the below form to endorse Liberation Identification, a movement to implement a statewide program providing state-issued photo identification to all people leaving incarceration in Kentucky.