More than 70% of Missouri business leaders say crime is hurting the economy and, in response, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has launched an initiative that aims to create new policies that are expected to reduce crime and employ formerly incarcerated individuals.
Safer Missouri, Stronger Missouri is a statewide, business-led plan combining the legislation power of the Missouri General Assembly with the authority of Gov. Mike Parson’s administration.
“The crime that is reported around the state of Missouri is astounding and we're out to try to change that,” said Daniel Mehan, president, and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “It's very important to note that this is a statewide approach. We are a statewide organization trying to determine how we, as a state partner with the localities, can try to improve this situation.”
Although the United States saw a 24.8% drop in violent crime from 2000 to 2019, Missouri’s violent crime rate rose by 2.0%.
“The public safety issue is a headwind that's holding us back a little bit,” Mehan added. “We need to get behind this and make sure we're doing it right.”
While crime is a tragedy for the people who are directly involved, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann said the trend is impacting the state’s ability to grow.
“It's been harder and harder to bring new businesses here,” he said.
Finding employees willing to work has also become increasingly more difficult, according to Lee Holmes, human resources manager with Triad Manufacturing.
“Like a lot of employers, we need people who want to work,” he said. “We're having a really hard time finding people who come in, interview, and come back to work on day two. We just can't find that.”
Recommendations to curb the crime rate include addressing substance misuse and mental health, reducing recidivism among those on probation or parole as well as improving training and employment opportunities for incarcerated individuals.
"We have an example of an individual in St. Louis who, after being released from incarceration with $5 in his pocket, he walked five hours to his halfway house," said Maleah Evans, WTI/Tremco quality resource coordinator who worked with employed individuals from the Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center (WRDCC). “After three months of working with us, he had his own apartment and after six months he was able to pay all his fines and get his license."
Programs like Concordance, a St. Louis-based non-profit re-entry program, are being hailed as a way to lower incidents of crime and further economic growth.
“At Concordance, we serve formally incarcerated individuals who are released from Missouri prisons and returning to the St Louis region,” said Julie Russell, head of Concordance behavioral health and wellness. “We're helping to advance many of the recommendations that are found within the report.”