Kankakee County Renewed Opportunity (KCRO) is a not-for-profit organization that works to reduce recidivism in Kankakee County.

"Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior, often after receiving sanctions or undergoing intervention for a previous crime. Sanctions are administered by federal, state or local jurisdictions and include all punishments that are available to the jurisdiction, such as fines, forms of community supervision and imprisonment. Interventions are programs such as drug treatment, employment training or cognitive therapies. An individual recidivates when he or she commits a crime at any time during or after the intervention or sanctioning process" (National Institute of Justice).

As a board of 23 individuals, KCRO represents a wide variety of entities ranging from probation and the circuit court to mental health and substance abuse agencies. KCRO meets on a monthly basis to brainstorm, discuss, and implement ideas, programs, and services that align with the organization's mission and vision statements (see below). 

Vision Statement

Kankakee County Renewed Opportunity, in conjunction with the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department, envisions reducing the barriers to reentry and the stigma surrounding returning citizens, redefining the image of returnees, and helping them become valued productive people, in order that Kankakee County would have the lowest county-wide rate of recidivism in the State of Illinois.


Mission Statement

It is the mission of KCRO to empower persons who have been released from prisons or other correctional facilities to reach their potential as human beings and to take their rightful places as contributing members of the communities within which they live and work.