Priority Area 1: Engage and educate Kansas stakeholders on Justice Reinvestment policies and legislation to promote oversight and sustainability.
Update: In August, the community supervision implementation group discussed the topic of dual supervision. KDOC shared examples of how a dual supervision case happens in their agency, and the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA) discussed connecting with KSSC regarding a way to flag dual supervision. The implementation group began the conversation about how a lack of standardized general conditions of supervision complicates dual supervision, which will continue to be discussed in future meetings.
Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff will be on site in September for the 2022 Kansas Sentencing Commission Workshop and will meet with several project agency stakeholders to discuss JRI legislative and administrative policy implementation.
Priority Area 2: Assist Kansas with monitoring progress, collecting data, and tracking outcomes associated with JRI policies.
Update: In August, the KSSC’s subaward request previously approved by BJA for $276,000 was being reviewed by KDOC’s legal team and is pending signature.
KDOC, Prisoner Review Board (PRB), and OJA submitted their second Category 2 subaward application to support further IT system upgrades. KDOC requested $90,000 to improve the effectiveness of and support upgrades to their Athena data system. The PRB requested $37,280 to spend on equipment upgrades for members, such as laptops, phones, and a virtual conferencing monitor. OJA requested $91,000 to support upgrades to Tyler Supervision, a case management software system. Subaward funding will help ensure that sentencing, plea, and criminal history data are displayed in the system simply and accurately, which will benefit both the OJA user and the receiving agency. With this second application, Kansas has requested a total of $494,280 in subaward funding to build their capacity to implement and track the outcomes of JRI policy and practice changes.
The CSG Justice Center is awaiting BJA approval for the second subaward application, as there was a slight delay with the platform BJA uses to submit the application.
In continuation of data monitoring work, CSG Justice Center staff spoke to KSSC to discuss data measures to understand the impacts of SB 123 (2021) substance use treatment diversion. There are significant gaps in data collection for this program, and KSSC plans to collaborate with KDOC to try to address them. CSG Justice Center staff will track this work to understand the impact of SB 123 in the future. After the 2022 Kansas Sentencing Commission Workshop in early September, CSG Justice Center staff will set up a call with the KSSC to discuss next steps.
Priority Area 3: Improve the community supervision system by creating efficiencies, consistency, coordination, and collaboration between OJA, KDOC, and Community Corrections entities.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff, with support from the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP), continued to facilitate collaborative community supervision implementation meetings. Stakeholders from KDOC, OJA, the PRB, and Community Corrections, as well as Chief Court Services officers, worked together to prioritize legislative and administrative supervision changes stemming from KCJRC recommendations and legislation. This month, the implementation group focused on reaching a consensus on several topics and preparing for drafting the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Topics included reviewing the decision tree and working examples for the decision tree, supervision level, communication, forms, sanctions and incentives, funding, financial obligations, useful data points, stakeholder education, the interstate compact review, violations and revocations, and the MOU process between OJA and KDOC, as required by SB 408. This MOU is required to codify the process of streamlining jurisdictions for concurrent supervision cases. The supervision agencies are trying to execute the MOU by October 2022.
Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff were invited to present at the 2022 Kansas Sentencing Commission Workshop in September on JRI in Kansas. CSG Justice Center staff developed the workshop presentation and solicited feedback from agency stakeholders.
Priority Area 4: Implement standardized general conditions of supervision and utilize a risk, need, responsivity (RNR) framework to select special conditions of supervision.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff worked with CEPP to discuss the approval process for the PRB training. Topics for this series of training will include early discharge of parole cases, clemency decision-making, and issues regarding revocations.
Priority Area 5: Engage with KDOC and KDADS to improve reentry and behavioral health services for people in the criminal justice system.
Update: Due to the success of the Western Region Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) summit, additional SIM summits for the remaining regions of the state have begun taking place to continue building on the momentum and successes happening within the behavioral health system. In August, Great Bend, KS, held a SIM Summit for their area, where they discussed the idea of a local hospital possibly making space to assist with individuals in crisis who have been screened and are waiting on possible placement, whether voluntary or involuntary. The Center for Counseling and Consultation in Great Bend shared that the local University of Kansas Health System, Great Bend Campus management team, and their crisis team had a conference call to discuss community crisis diversion/stabilization and the possibility of implementing this on their campus. The initial response was very positive.
There are logistics to work out in terms of space, staff, MOUs, practice agreements, and funding. The group discussed an overflow room that would need to be expanded and modified for this purpose, and additional equipment/technology that is needed for added security and telehealth.
Other concerns include staffing, in terms of security, and determining how they might provide on-site services such as attendant care, case management or therapy in a collaborative agreement since there would need to be compensation for unbillable staff time. The state received funds to address crisis issues in Kansas but is unsure if this would fit the criteria for that funding.
The group plans to meet again soon and include law enforcement in this planning.
New Insights:
Representative Gail Finney (represented the 84th house district since 2009) passed away on August 20, 2022, at the age of 63. Representative Finney was regarded as a statesperson in the House Democratic caucus and was noted for her work on a range of issues, including reforming the state’s foster care system and criminal justice matters, most notably bail reform. Representative Finney was a member of the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, the same committee in which all JRI bills were started and supported. Representative Finney was also a member of the Reform Commission and attended subcommittee meetings in 2021 as a supporter of JRI legislation. We do not anticipate that her death will have a significant impact on JRI in KS.
Press Clips:
Chief justice appoints members to Specialty Court Funding Advisory Committee
Kansas Votes to Preserve Abortion Rights Protections in Its Constitution
Kansas GOP nominates Kobach for AG, advancing comeback bid
Kansas Primary Election Results
Kansas man convicted of illegal autopsies banned from business in state
'This really smacks of harassment': Study showing disparities in law enforcement prompts Lawrence community members to respond
'Blood from stone': Kansas Court of Appeals examines endless probation for poor people - Kansas Reflector
Longtime Wichita Rep. Gail Finney dies at 63. She was remembered by colleagues as a ‘warrior.’
Dept. of Corrections is prioritizing mental health for inmates
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