Kansas
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| May 22, 2007: Governor Sebelius Signs SB14 |
Articles
03/18/2009 – The American Prospect: “When Slim Budgets Mean Better Prisons”, by Adam Serwer
“Kanasas Secretary of Corrections Roger Werholz has changed the way his state does corrections. In 2005, Werholz began a campaign to convince local legislators that the state needed to focus on rehabilitating convicted felons rather than simply locking them up. Werholz wanted his parole officers to behave more like social workers, not just reacting to parole violations but providing the kind of support for the formerly incarcerated that would prevent violations in the first place.”
01/14/2009 – Lawrence Journal-World: “Editorial: Bright Spot“
“Although Gov. Kathleen Sebelius tried to paint the state’s current status in the best possible light Monday night, the budget figures that followed on Tuesday didn’t provide a lot of reason for good cheer.”
“However, one area of state government that Sebelius highlighted in her State of the State Address is deserving of praise because of the positive impact it has had on Kansas lives while also saving the state money.”
05/17/2008 – The New York Times: “New Tack on Straying Parolees Offers a Hand Instead of Cuffs”, by Erik Eckholm
“Today, Kansas is a leader in a spreading national effort to make parole more effective and useful — to reduce violations and reincarcerations as it protects the public and seeks to help more offenders go straight.”
05/07/2008 – The Topeka Capital Journal: “State’s Budget Still Up in Air”, by James Carlson
“The state’s wrap-up budget remained in limbo late Tuesday after the House adjourned with no resolution to negotiations on the final spending issues.”
03/15/2008 – The Hutchinson News: “State Prisons Don’t Follow the Crowd”, by Jessica Self
“The Pew Center report shows more than 1 percent of all American adults are in prison, which is an all-time high. The same report credited Kansas, along with Texas, as being a state that has taken necessary steps to slow the growth of the inmate population.”
10/14/2007 – Stateline: “Political Odd Couple Pushes Prisoner Re-entry Breakthrough“
“America’s most imaginative prisoner re-entry program isn’t flourishing in some left-leaning coastal city, but rather in solid “heart of America” Wichita, Kan.”
07/2/2007 – The New York Times: “A Much-Needed Second Chance“
“Congress needs to pass the Second Chance Act, which would provide grants, guidance and assistance to states and localities that are developing programs to reintegrate former inmates into their communities.”
06/18/2007 – Stateline.org: “States Seek Alternatives to More Prisons”, by John Gramlich
“Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) last month signed into law a prison plan that is winning accolades for its creativity. Among other measures, the $4.4 million package provides financial incentives to community correctional systems for reducing prisoner admissions and allows some low-risk inmates to reduce their sentences through education or counseling while behind bars.”
05/31/2007 – Lawrence Journal-World: “Bill Provides State More Time to Build Prison Space”, by George Diepenbrock
“Probation supervisors across the state will be applying for new grants to keep offenders from getting their probation sentences revoked and taking up prison space.”
05/30/2007 – Kansas City Community News: “Saving Money on Prison”, by Bob Sigman
“Getting its arms around a rapidly growing prison population has taken the Kansas Legislature a lot of time and unswerving commitment. Even now, there are no guarantees that the effort will meet expectations.” “But there are signs that the state is light years ahead of where it would have been without the cutting-edge initiative.”
05/28/2007 – The Capital-Journal: “Corrections Hopes Bill Will Reduce Recidivism,” by James Carlson
“The state could avoid having to build an estimated 1,300 additional prison beds over the next 10 years, according to the Department of Corrections, with the implementation of a recently signed bill creating a grant program to reduce recidivism.”
03/13/2007 – The Capital Journal: “Money May Be Sought for Jail Program”, by Tim Hrenchir (Registration Required)
“Shawnee County commissioners learned Monday, with federal grant money running out, local governments in Shawnee County may be asked to pay a combined $261,000 for fiscal year 2008 to help maintain a Kansas Department of Corrections program.”
02/16/2007 – Lawrence Journal World “Community Corrections Funding Problem Means Corners are Being Cut”, by Ron Knox
“Somewhere, somebody in the state has to step up and say, ‘We have a problem,’” said Grevas, director of the Kansas Community Corrections Association and the state’s 28th Judicial District.”
02/14/2007 – WIBW: “KHRC and KDOC Hire Specialists to Lower Recidivism Rates”
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) and the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) have teamed up to help former prisoners reintegrate into society, obtain long-term employment, and and affordable housing.
02/06/2007 – The Capital Journal: “Presentation to Legislators Shows Prison Population Issue”, by Tim Carpenter
The Senate’s judiciary and budget committees met together Monday to absorb a presentation by Tony Fabelo and Fred Osher, who argued the state can spend modestly now to address root problems of low-level offenders right or pay dearly later when those people get into serious trouble triggering longer prison sentences.
01/28/2007 – Lawrence Journal World: “Douglas County Probation Officers Most Overworked in State”, by Ron Knox
“When a judge sentences someone to probation instead of jail for committing a crime, the case file often ends up on Shoemake’s desk — along with more than 100 others.”
01/11/2007 – The Lawrence Journal-World: “State Prisons Almost Filled Up”, by Scott Rothschild and Eric Weslander
Projections from the Kansas Sentencing Commission show that the capacity will be surpassed in 2009 if nothing changes. Much of the projected increase is due to the adoption last year of Jessica’s Law, which strengthened penalties against child molesters and other sex offenders.
01/04/2007 – Office of the Governor, Kansas: “Risk Reduction Effort Receives National Support”, by Nicole Corcoran, Press Secretary
Ensuring offenders don’t commit new crimes after they re-enter society is the objective of the Kansas Department of Corrections’ Reentry Program – a goal which will be furthered by a $4.67 million national grant.
12/13/2006 – Lawrence Journal-World: "Crowd Control", by Eric Weslander
"Kansas is on track to run out of prison space within two years unless something changes, speakers warned Tuesday at a conference in Lawrence. There’s an option of building a new prison with an estimated cost of about $500 million during the next nine years. Or there’s a second option of working to keep people from violating their probation or from returning once they’re released from prison – an approach that researchers say can allow the prison system to remain at its current capacity until roughly 2015."
Videos
02/06/2007 – WIBW: “State Judiciary Committee Face Growing Prison Populations; Seek Solutions”
Facing an increasing prison population, Kansas lawmakers weighed possible solutions Monday when experts appeared before first the Senate and the the House Judiciary Committees.
02/06/2007 – WIBW: “State Looks at Ways to Reform Prisons”
Kansas’ prison population is expected to increase by 25 percent in the next 10 years. Advocates are saying that programs to keep substance abusers from re-offending will lower that trend. Right now nearly half of all released prisoners are back in jail within a year.
12/12/2006 – 6 News Lawrence: "Kansas Prison Population Problems Growing"
"Kansas’ prison population is expected to climb by 26 percent over the next nine years, and there are more than 500 million dollars in associated costs with those potential problems lingering."
12/12/2006 – ABC News: "Kansas Prison Population Issues Addressed in Lawrence"
"Kansas’ prison population is expected to climb by 26 percent over the next nine years, and there are more than $500 million in associated costs. With those potential problems lingering overhead, lawmakers, state officials and local leaders gathered in Lawrence Tuesday to discuss the situation and possible solutions."