Justice Reinvestment in Kansas: Improving Supervision and Expanding Diversion
kslegislature.gov/li_2022/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_hb_2121_2021
Policy Recommendation Formalize KDOC’s approach to parole supervision violations, including implementing effective responses to behavior. Also, establish a clear definition of absconder status. (HB 2121)
Background In 2019, one-third of the year-end prison population and two-thirds of prison admissions were due to supervision sanctions and revocations.
In the same year, 992 people were revoked from community corrections for condition violations only. The most common violations committed by this group of people, including the violation they were revoked for, were failure to report/ absconding (79 percent of people revoked had at least one violation of this type); missed or positive urinalysis/ alcohol test (76 percent); failure to pay costs (69 percent); and failure to attend treatment (43 percent). Just over half (525, or 53 percent) of these people did not have even one hearing prior to the hearing that resulted in a revocation.
In March 2020, there were 466 people in prison serving time for condition violations on parole at a cost of $14 million per year.
Kansas lacked a formalized definition for absconding from supervision, which created an inconsistent threshold for sanctions between each supervision entity.
Details HB 2121 (which amended K.S.A. 75-5216) requires KDOC to establish standards for parole behavior responses that follow evidence-based practices. This includes the use of incentives for compliant behavior and appropriate interventions for violations. Additionally, HB 2121 created a uniform definition for absconding from supervision, which ensures that each supervision entity is utilizing the same criteria for an absconding violation.
