Analysis Area 1: Analyze crime trends, including recent increases in of violent crime, to help the state understand the impacts of these trends on the criminal justice system, and maintain recent changes that make more effective use of corrections resources, including prison space.
Update: In July, the Commission and subcommittees continued to meet to discuss diversion opportunities, inequities in the criminal justice system, and how race intersects with the work of the Commission. The subcommittees working on diversion, race and justice, and sentencing and proportionality were initially composed solely of Commission members. At their first meetings in July, each subcommittee identified additional stakeholders to be added to ensure proper representation of stakeholders from across the system who would be directly impacted by each policy area. Additionally, in July, the Kansas Sentencing Commission approved new placement criteria and updated forms to add prosecutor diversion as an option for the use of SB 123 treatment eligibility.
Analysis Area 2: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of community supervision to understand the causes of recidivism and technical violations that result in jail and prison admissions and strengthen community supervision by expanding resources to improve supervision success rates.
Update: In July, CSG Justice Center staff attended supervision-related subcommittee meetings, assisted with the identification of additional stakeholders to join each subcommittee, and provided context on Justice Reinvestment Initiative related policy recommendations developed over the past year. Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff began working with the Administrative Office of the Courts to develop a judicial engagement plan for policies passed during the 2021 legislative session and the work being conducted with the Commission.
Analysis Area 3: Assess the state’s response to people in the criminal justice system with behavioral health needs and identify opportunities for decreasing recidivism by helping people succeed upon release to the community.
Update: The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) is working to implement administrative policy recommendations developed by CSG Justice Center staff in conjunction with the Commission in 2020. KDADS was awarded a block grant from SAMHSA for approximately $1 million to hire jail liaisons in five counties to support people in jails with mental health needs. Counties eligible for the jail liaisons will be required to be Stepping Up counties. Additionally, KDADS is working to develop and expand mobile crisis teams and has a long-term strategy to eventually link their new 988 call center with mobile crisis teams and support services if funding permits.
Analysis Area 4: Assess the state’s current reentry efforts for expanding paths to successful employment, in part by increasing post-secondary education opportunities for incarcerated people and ensuring housing support after release, including for those who have mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and other special needs.
Update: No updates in July.
New Insights:
• In July, state leaders developed a letter of interest for Phase II technical assistance with a goal to submit to BJA in early August.
• The Kansas Sentencing Commission funded HB 2026, which expanded drug treatment to people entering a prosecutorial diversion program that was not funded through the legislature during the 2021 legislative session. The Kansas Sentencing Commission will work to have the up-front investment sustained by the legislature in a future legislative session.
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