Getting a Job After Prison in Kansas

There is one question that determines whether you get hired. Not the application. Not the background check. Not what the charge was or how long you were inside.

The question is this: why you, over the thirty other people I could hire who don't have a criminal record?

If you walk in without a ready answer, you will not get the job. The interviewer can see the pause the moment you don't have something prepared, and once they see it, the room shifts against you. What you need is an answer practiced enough to say with confidence and humility at the same time.

The answer that works is this:

Everybody deserves a second chance. Somebody is going to give me one. And they are going to get the best employee they ever had, because I am never, ever going to do something that sends me back to prison.

Say it clean. Say it without flinching. It makes no excuses, asks for no sympathy, and tells the employer the one thing they actually need to know: you have more reason to perform than anyone else in that stack.

Then live it. The light is on you from the first day. Use it. Work twice as hard as the person next to you. Show up earlier, stay later, and make that scrutiny your shining light, not a shadow. The person standing next to you does not have anyone watching them that closely. You do. That is the advantage if you decide to use it.

What the Law in Kansas Says About Your Record

Kansas has no statewide ban the box law for private employers. Executive Order 18-12 covers the state's executive branch employment, requiring that criminal history questions be removed from initial applications and that inquiry occur only after an applicant is deemed qualified and a conditional offer is made. But this reaches only state government jobs, not private employers.

One significant local protection exists for the Kansas City, Kansas area: the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has a ban the box ordinance covering private employers with six or more employees. Under this ordinance, employers must wait until after an interview before asking about an applicant's criminal history. If you are applying for work in Wyandotte County or Kansas City, Kansas, this timing protection applies to most private employers.

Outside the Wyandotte County ordinance, there is no timing protection for private sector applicants in Kansas. A private company can ask about your criminal history on the initial application and screen you out before the interview. Federal FCRA protections apply everywhere -- any employer using a consumer reporting agency must get your written consent and provide notice before taking adverse action. Criminal convictions can be reported indefinitely in Kansas under state law, though the FCRA's seven-year limit applies to non-conviction records.

One important protection that applies statewide: Kansas law prohibits employers from using arrest records that did not result in conviction as a basis for employment decisions.

Kansas employers also cannot exclude applicants from employment based solely on a past conviction without demonstrating a specific relationship between the conviction and the position. If you believe you were screened out without any job-related justification, the Kansas Human Rights Commission enforces state civil rights laws.

Kansas's economy runs on agriculture, food processing, aviation and aerospace manufacturing, oil and gas, logistics, and healthcare. The aviation and aerospace sector, centered around Wichita with companies like Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus, represents both a barrier (security-conscious employers with stricter background checks) and a significant opportunity for skilled tradespeople.

Building the Answer Before You Need It

The law does not carry you far in most of Kansas. Your answer is what carries you.

What you did inside matters and it is measurable. Kansas DOC research confirms that KDOC residents who held an industry job for six or more months while incarcerated were 25% more likely to earn a living wage upon release. Completion of a certification course added 8%. A single college course added 20%. The data says time inside doing productive work is not a gap -- it is preparation. Inventory what you completed, what you built, what you were responsible for.

Then connect it to the specific job. Manufacturing plants need reliability and attention to process. Food processing needs consistency and willingness to work physical, demanding conditions. Logistics needs someone who shows up and follows procedure. Whatever you are applying for, your answer should be specific to what that employer needs.

Practice the answer out loud. To another person, until the hesitation is completely gone. The pause is what loses the room. Eliminate it before you sit down.

Companies in Kansas That Hire People with Criminal Records

Kansas's labor market is spread across Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, Lawrence, and smaller cities connected by agriculture and manufacturing. Labor shortages in food processing, construction, and logistics make employers more flexible than their screening policies might suggest.

Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and major food service operators have Kansas operations and national fair chance commitments. Tyson Foods, National Beef, and other meat and food processing operations in southwest and central Kansas hire heavily in production and packaging roles. Koch Industries, headquartered in Wichita, has been an active Second Chance Business Coalition supporter. Construction contractors across the state face consistent labor demand. The Kansas DOC's active relationship with 41 private industries employing nearly 1,300 current residents demonstrates that a significant network of Kansas employers has already decided that returning citizens are worth hiring.

KDOC maintains an employer contact for companies interested in hiring returning citizens: KDOC_CareerCampus@ks.gov, 785-296-3317. This is a direct line to employer partnerships already established through the KDOC work program network.

Staffing agencies across Wichita, Topeka, and the Kansas City metro are the most accessible first step, placing workers in manufacturing and logistics with more flexibility than direct hire.

For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.

The Tax Credit Employers Get for Hiring You

Here is the closing argument for every conversation with an employer on the fence.

There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone from a qualifying group, including individuals recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That is not charity. It is a business incentive the federal government created specifically to make hiring returning citizens financially advantageous.

You are not asking anyone to take a risk on you. You are telling them your hire comes with a tax benefit attached that none of the other thirty applicants can offer. Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Hiring me may put money back in your business. And I will give you the best work you have ever gotten from a new hire, because I have too much to lose to give you anything less.

KansasWorks and local workforce centers coordinate WOTC certification and Federal Bonding access for employers statewide.

Where to Get Help in Kansas

KansasWorks, the state's workforce development system operated through the Kansas Department of Commerce, provides job search assistance, career counseling, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access. Find your nearest KansasWorks office at kansasworks.com.

ReSpECTWORKS (Re-entry Specialized Employment Counseling and Training), operated by KansasWorks in partnership with the Kansas Department of Corrections, provides intensive case management and career navigation for eligible individuals released from Kansas prisons. The program is funded through federal Pathway Home grants and focuses on connecting returning citizens with sustainable living-wage employment. Contact through KansasWorks offices or the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Kansas Department of Corrections Work Programs employ nearly 1,300 KDOC residents through 41 private industries and 12 correctional industries. These work programs build the skills, work history, and employer relationships that translate directly to post-release employment. Employers interested in hiring KDOC residents can contact KDOC_CareerCampus@ks.gov or 785-296-3317.

Wichita Work Release Program places selected low-risk individuals in jobs outside correctional facilities, rated Promising by the National Institute of Justice for reducing recidivism through employment.

Kansas KDOC Reentry Centers in Wichita, Topeka, and the Kansas City area provide transition support including housing, employment, and community connections for returning citizens.

Community Corrections offices across Kansas provide supervision and can connect returning citizens to local employment, training, and support resources.

Kansas Legal Services provides free legal assistance to low-income Kansans, including guidance on expungement eligibility. Contact at klsinc.org.

The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through KansasWorks, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.