Jennings committee urges studies, funding reviews for Kansas juvenile and adult corrections

Jillian Block, a legislative research analyst, presented the interim report of the J. Russell Jennings Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight to the legislature and summarized the committee's recommendations and findings.

The committee, established in 1997 and renamed by House Bill 2114 in 2023, met in November for two full days to hear presentations on probation, post-release and parole supervision, juvenile community-based services, Department of Corrections juvenile services, and reports from the Kansas Sentencing Commission and the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee, Block said. The committee also toured juvenile facilities in Johnson County but did not take formal action during that tour because a quorum was not present.

The committee recommended multiple actions for agencies and the Legislature. Agency requests included asking the Kansas Sentencing Commission to include data on the success and recidivism rates for diversion programs created or expanded under Senate Bill 123 (and related provisions) in its…