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Kansas Senate Judiciary committee hears bill to expand prisoner review board and tighten victim notice after controversial parole decision
Summary
Proponents including the Kansas State Troopers Association urged support for SB459 to expand the prisoner review board to five members, require attorney-general notice and in-person victim comment sessions, and bar decisions until victim comment is held in serious cases; public defenders raised due-process concerns about politicizing the board.
The Kansas Senate Judiciary committee on a recent business session heard testimony on Senate Bill 459, which would expand the state prisoner review board from three to five members, require notice of parole hearings to the attorney general, and make in-person victim comment sessions the default unless the victim requests otherwise.
Sage Hill, a state trooper testifying for the Kansas State Troopers Association, cited the parole award in the case of Conroy O’Brien and the subsequent public outcry as the impetus for the measure. “This bill prevents this sort of atrocity while still providing a framework for sensible, responsible rehabilitation,” Hill said, urging the committee to support the bill.
The reviser told…
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