By Ken Warren
At our MOSES monthly meeting in October, we had the pleasure of meeting Kory Finfrock and his spouse, Tonia. Kory was born in Stoughton in 1979 and was a student in Edgerton from the early grades until he dropped out of high school. He later earned his HSED. Kory’s father died several years ago, but his mother is well and living in the area. Kory also has a 26-year-old son, but that relationship is strained because, Kory recognizes, he has let his family down.
Kory’s negative interaction with the legal system began during his teen years. By the year 2000, he had been sentenced to the Wisconsin correctional system. Upon release in 2005, he fell into a problem with drug use, which led to other criminal acts. By 2006, he again was confined, which lasted until 2019.
While in the Wisconsin correctional system, Kory took advantage of opportunities to prepare for his return home. He was able to work in a machine shop and earned a technical college degree in machine tool operations. He participated in many support groups while confined. Along the way, he also earned a culinary certification from a technical college and completed a 6,240-hour apprenticeship. Before his release in 2015, Kory was transferred to the minimum-security facility at Oregon and was able to participate in a work-release program, where he secured a job with a finishing company. After release, he was promoted to the shop supervisor position.
Upon release, Kory was motivated to become a productive member of the community. He got married and became a homeowner. Unfortunately, in early 2024, another poor choice resulted in a return to confinement for seven months.
Kory still owns the home in Stoughton, where his wife lives, but due to a restriction put in place by his parole agent, he is not allowed to be in Stoughton. The restrictions stem from a traffic citation that took place back in 2022. At the current time, he is paying for motel rooms on a weekly basis and looking for more affordable housing, as well as employment. He feels positive about his employment search, as he has had multiple positive interviews. He has had less success with his housing, as he has been rejected several times due to his record.
Another personal challenge for Kory is to win back the trust of his family. He understands their hesitancy and disappointment and recognizes that it will be a slow process. His son is 26 years old, and Kory has been absent for much of his life.
When asked about current support structures, Kory immediately mentions his wife, saying that she has been a gift to him. In addition to her emotional support, she also works in the area of psychiatric mental health and drug-related care as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and is able to offer guidance and direction. For example, she is assisting him in obtaining an attorney and appealing the restriction which prevents him from living in his own home, as well as providing community resources and an abundance of housing leads. Kory also has a counselor he sees regularly and participates in an AODA (alcohol and other drugs) after-care group.
Kory said that he felt welcome and comfortable when he attended our MOSES meeting. He believes that prison reform is very important, but he was happy to hear of our efforts regarding the challenges of negotiating reentry into society. He liked what he heard about our efforts and goals. He looks forward to becoming a responsible and contributing member of the community. We hope that will include his continued involvement with MOSES.