Priority Area 1: Engage and educate Kansas stakeholders on Justice Reinvestment policies and legislation to promote oversight and sustainability.
Update:
In September, the community supervision implementation group discussed conditions of supervision, ways in which a lack of standardized general conditions complicates dual supervision, special conditions of supervision, the status of the development of the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the draft of the progress report form, and the potential of a pilot of the standardized conditions of supervision. The group also identified next steps.
CSG Justice Center staff were on site September 6–8 for the 2022 Kansas Sentencing Commission Workshop. The workshop brought together stakeholders for JRI in Kansas to present on various topics, including educational outreach, sentencing guidelines, and ongoing projects, such as the electronic journal project (see Phase II LOI chart on p. 1). During this visit, CSG Justice Center staff led a presentation on JRI in Kansas, which provided an overview of the JRI process and updates on the implementation progress and data monitoring, sustainability, and next steps.
Additionally, staff met with several agency stakeholders to discuss JRI legislative and administrative policy implementation. The governor’s office expressed continued support for JRI in Kansas. CSG Justice Center staff began drafting a one-page document to encourage judges to review the draft MOU and provide feedback. The document will also provide judges with background information and status updates for each key focus area on JRI in Kansas and invite them to connect to further discuss the project.
Priority Area 2: Assist Kansas with monitoring progress, collecting data, and tracking outcomes associated with JRI policies.
Update:
In September, the KSSC’s subaward request previously approved by BJA for $276,000 was reviewed by KDOC’s legal team and signed. CSG Justice Center staff trained the receiving agency (KDOC) and partners on how to fill out invoices, reimbursement schedules, and other necessary tasks.
The CSG Justice Center is awaiting BJA approval for the second subaward application.
In continuation of data monitoring work, CSG Justice Center staff spoke to the Kansas Sentencing Commission (KSSC) to discuss data measures to understand the impacts of Senate Bill (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.
Priority Area 3: Improve the community supervision system by creating efficiencies, consistency, coordination, and collaboration between OJA, KDOC, and Community Corrections entities.
Update:
In September, 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 several topics aimed at reaching consensus and worked on drafting the MOU. Topics included standardized general conditions of supervision, special conditions of supervision, development of the draft MOU, development of the draft progress report form, the potential of a pilot of the standardized conditions of supervision, 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.
Finally, CSG Justice Center staff attended and presented at the 2022 KSSC Workshop. The presentation provided an overview of the status and next steps for JRI in Kansas.
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 September, CSG Justice Center staff worked with CEPP to discuss the focus and status of the PRB training, the implementation group’s consensus on the conditions of supervision standards, status of developing the draft MOU, draft progress report form, plan for a discussion regarding implementation needs for the standardized conditions of supervision, and next steps for the discussion on conditions of supervision.
Priority Area 5: Engage with KDOC and KDADS to improve reentry and behavioral health services for people in the criminal justice system.
Update: There were no updates in September.
New Insights:
After 14 years, Hope Cooper, Deputy Secretary of Juvenile and Adult Community-Based Services, Kansas Department of Corrections, announced her departure. She was named deputy secretary of Juvenile and Adult Community-Based Services in June 2019. Previously, she served as deputy secretary of Community and Field Services since June 2016. Deputy Secretary Cooper joined the KDOC in 2008 as a program consultant in the community corrections division prior to being promoted to the KDOC’s director of community corrections. At the time of her appointment to deputy secretary, she had been serving as warden of the Topeka Correctional Facility since 2011. She was a champion of JRI in Kansas and influential in developing policies for community supervision in Kansas. Additionally, Deputy Secretary Cooper was instrumental to the CSG Justice Center staff by providing insights into interagency dynamics and strategizing when obstacles occurred in the project. CSG Justice Center staff do not anticipate challenges due to her departure, as other KDOC staff involved in the project are supportive of JRI efforts. Deputy Secretary Cooper will be moving into a national consulting role.
The governor is up for reelection and running against the current attorney general in a very contentious and close race. If Governor Kelly is reelected, the governor’s office is interested in pushing for additional reforms to the criminal justice system.
Representative Owens (Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice) indicated a desire to re-introduce JRI policies during the next legislative session if reelected. Representative Owens is highly favored to win reelection and attended the KSSC Workshop in September to learn about what legislation the KSSC may want to introduce.
Press Clips:
ACLU of Kansas: Legislature needs to fix ‘endless probation’ - Kansas Reflector
Kansas inmates got punished for drinking alcohol when the prison system was misusing tests
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