The bill focuses on detention and treatment programs. But opponents of the legislation say the proposed programs won’t succeed.
criminal justice
Posted inState Government
‘I’m gonna torture you’: Despite nearly 200 stalking and domestic abuse charges, a Kansas man could avoid jail time
Shawn Koch saved hundreds of threatening emails from her ex, Christopher Koch. He threatened to kill her, get her fired, keep their children from her and ruin her life.
Posted inState Government
Kansas Republican considers limits on police surveillance abilities
Police can put cameras on utility poles and utility companies can’t be sued if that happens. Some Kansas lawmakers worry that expands police powers too much.
Posted inState Government
Young inmates could get second chance with resentencing proposal
Ariana Cook was in a bad place in 2020. She was hooked on hard drugs and in love with a “master manipulator.” “I just knew I was gonna marry him and be a hood-rich junkie for the rest of my life,” she said. “I had no care in the world of regaining contact with anyone […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas nearing ‘constitutional crisis’ as small-town lawyers become a scarcity
Kansas judges in rural counties struggle to find qualified attorneys to represent defendants in cases where the right to a lawyer is guaranteed. “We are approaching a constitutional crisis,” said Kansas Supreme Court Justice Keynen “K.J.” Wall. Forty-seven rural counties are legal deserts, or areas without adequate access to legal help. One-third of rural attorneys […]
Posted inState Government
Millions in Kansas juvenile justice dollars sit unused
Steve Stonehouse has seen it before. Children come to the Sedgwick County Department of Corrections youth intake facility, where he’s the director. They’re already kicked out of school and have nothing to do all day. So, the county corrections department started offering classes. The kids get at least four months of schooling, and they might […]
Posted inState Government
Medical marijuana still faces opposition from Kansas law enforcement
Kansas police are once again saying no to drugs — including medical marijuana. On Tuesday, groups representing police chiefs, sheriffs and peace officers across the state continued to shoot down the idea of legalizing medical marijuana. They argued that legal weed would create a more lawless Kansas where cartels roam the streets and opioid deaths […]
Posted inKansas State Government, Uncategorized
Kansas lawmakers and Kelly couldn’t agree on tax cuts — so governor calls for another try
Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers failed to pass tax cuts that the governor would sign before adjourning for the year, setting up a heated tax fight during an election year. The Legislature adjourned early Wednesday morning, but Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has the power to bring lawmakers back for a special session. She promised to do it, […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Missouri legalized weed last year, yet Kansas saw little increase in drug arrests
Takeaways: More than 1 million Kansans live within an hour’s drive of Missouri and its dispensaries selling legal cannabis at seemingly every strip mall. Yet even with that new, easy access to legal weed, fewer people face arrest in Kansas on marijuana charges. Prosecutors and police remain obliged to enforce the state’s prohibition on cannabis […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled
Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers gave public defenders a historic raise in recent years, yet a survey of those attorneys found that their concerns over pay almost doubled. In 2019, the State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services lost a fourth of its attorneys. In 2022, it lost another fifth. That led lawmakers to raise wages last year, […]