Ex-convicts seeking to reenter Florida’s workforce will get a boost from bipartisan legislation Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed.
DeSantis has approved SB 472, which guarantees that career and technical education credits people earn in prison can count toward their professional licensure after release.
The measure, effective July 1, directs the Department of Corrections to collaborate with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and its professional boards to ensure that inmates completing approved vocational courses receive proper credit toward licensure. Applicable trades range from barbering, cosmetology and landscaping to electrical work, plumbing and HVAC contracting.
Florida’s Correctional Education Program, managed by the Department of Corrections, offers 92 career and technical courses across 37 vocational trades aligned with the state’s high-demand occupations.
From 2020 to 2024, more than 36,000 career certificates and credentials were awarded through the program, according to the Department of Corrections website. But according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute, the certificates today are largely only valid while the people receiving them are incarcerated and aren’t recognized outside of prison.
That changes under SB 472, sponsored by Republican Sen. Keith Truenow. Democratic Rep. Kevin Chambliss and Republican Rep. Rachel Plakon carried the House companion bill (HB 195).
The legislation passed unanimously last month and encountered only “yes” votes during the committee process.
Notably, DeSantis last year vetoed a similar proposal Chambliss and Plakon sponsored with support from Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart in the upper chamber. He cited a provision in the bill reducing the time frame within which the state’s barber and cosmetologist boards could deny licenses based on criminal convictions — something SB 472 does not contain.
After DeSantis signed SB 472 on Thursday, Chambliss said in a statement, “For inmates that have shown that they wish to be productive members of society upon the completion of their sentence, the state has a responsibility to make their transition as smooth as possible.”
Although research on the direct relationship between vocational education and reduced recidivism is mixed, experts agree that stable, skilled employment offers stronger protection against reoffending than low-wage “survival jobs.” A 2023 study by Susan McNeeley, a senior research analyst with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, emphasized the importance of continuity of care in which education starts in prison and continues into the community.
Advocacy groups and trade associations that supported the bill included the Florida Retail Federation, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Florida Smart Justice Alliance and Americans for Prosperity.
Democratic Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis praised the measure as a beacon of hope for those seeking a second chance.
“This sends a very clear message to those returning citizens that they are not forgotten, that we want them to be productive citizens,” she said.
With Florida and other states facing labor shortages in several trades, Chambliss said the new law addresses concerns about public safety and economic concerns.
“We are spending taxpayer dollars to educate our prisoners,” Chambliss said during his bill’s last committee stop in mid-March. “Let’s make sure they can get employed once they leave prison.”
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