Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee says a Nashville faith-based prison nonprofit could provide the model for reducing Tennessee's recidivism rate.
Lee said on Tuesday that organizations like Men of Valor —where he has served as a board member for several years —should be studied by the state as a possible tool to help other communities.
Lee said Men of Valor's recidivism rate is significantly lower than the overall number of felony inmates who are re-incarcerated in Tennessee.
According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, statewide recidivism in 2016 was roughly 47 percent — down from 50.5 percent in 2010. Men of Valor's website says its recidivism rate is around 15 percent.
Lee, who is a businessman from Franklin, faces Democratic ex-Nashville Mayor Karl Dean in the upcoming November election.
