Kansas corrections committee hears bill to bar certain registrants from off-site work and educational release

A Kansas legislative committee on corrections on Monday heard emotional testimony and sharp questions about House Bill 25-27, legislation that would prohibit inmates with convictions or adjudications requiring offender registration from participating in work-release or educational-release programs off prison grounds.

Representative Megan Steele, who introduced the bill, told the Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice the measure ‘‘would ensure that inmates with prior convictions or adjudications for crimes requiring offender registration are not eligible for work release or educational release outside of the prison walls.’’ She said the bill responds to a case in which a survivor received a letter from the Department of Corrections informing her that the person who attacked her had been deemed eligible for off-site work release.

Jason Thompson of the Revisor’s Office explained the bill changes two statutes: it amends KSA 21-6604 (the sentencing options statute) to bar courts from ordering work release for defendants whose convictions or adjudications require registration, and it amends the statute authorizing the Secretary of Corrections’ work- and educational-release programs (cited in hearing material as 75-52-67) to impose a corresponding prohibition on inmates in DOC custody. Thompson said the bill targets the work-release disposition and would not alter community-corrections or house-arrest dispositions.

Wilbunsee County Sheriff Eric Kirsch testified in support and described his role in a case he said left a child survivor frightened after she received a Department of Corrections notice indicating the perpetrator had been found eligible for work release. ‘‘This form letter even said that her monster could be working at the Kansas State Fair,’’ Kirsch said, and he urged lawmakers to pass the bill so judges — not administrators or policy manuals — make off-site release decisions.

Committee members pressed proponents on trade-offs between public safety and reentry. Representative Carmichael and others asked whether the bill would exclude people from county work-release centers and community corrections; proponents and a reviser clarified the restriction applies to off-site work or education and that on-site prison programs would remain available under the draft language.

Opponents raised breadth and reentry concerns. Attorney Jennifer Roth told the committee she objects to ‘‘a blanket policy that covers so many people,’’ noting ‘‘over 5,000 people on the registry’’ and warning the bill could sweep in low-level convictions or conduct that occurred when someone was a juvenile. Roth and public commenter Linda Crandall argued that work and education reduce recidivism and that KDOC policy (IMPP) already restricts some participation in practice.

Several legislators suggested narrowing options — for example, limiting changes to registrants convicted of offenses against children — while others said the committee should examine DOC policy compliance and data on risk. The Revisor acknowledged nuances in registration terms (15-year, 25-year, lifetime tiers) and said the language could be made more specific if the committee chooses.

After discussion, the committee agreed to ‘‘work’’ HB 25-27 at a follow-up session to allow time for amendment drafting and further review; the chair indicated the bill will be worked on Wednesday. No final vote on the bill was taken at the hearing.

The hearing also included several related committee actions and bill sponsorships discussed separately by the panel.