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Lawmakers press on pay, supervision and liability for work-release and community labor
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Summary
During the committee hearing, Representative Smith asked whether work-release participants must be paid; KDOC said yes (prevailing private wage). Members also raised whether county jails can run supervised cleanup programs and noted an insurance refusal in Johnson County closed a prior program.
Representative Smith asked during the hearing whether people on work release must be paid and whether supervised community cleanup (compared informally to chain gangs) is legal or administratively feasible.
Jennifer King, Executive Director of Public Affairs for the Kansas Department of Corrections, told the committee that individuals on work release must be paid and that they must receive the prevailing wage of the private industry in which they work. King also noted county jails do not fall under KDOC purview and that legality and supervision of county-run programs would need to be addressed locally.
Representative Resson said Johnson County tried a supervised labor program but the county’s insurance carrier would not cover injuries, which promptly ended the program. Committee members said these operational and liability concerns will be considered when the bills are worked further.
The exchange did not produce a committee action on the matter; the chair said the panel would return to these issues while working the bill at a later date.
