Kansas Prisoner Review Board (PRB) members and staff recently attended the annual APAI (Association of Paroling Authorities International) conference in San Diego, CA. This year’s conference attendees numbered 400 and included members from 35 states, six countries and remote participants.

Kansas PRB Chair Jonathan Ogletree was elected as president of APAI during the organization’s meeting. Prior to his most recent APAI election, Ogletree served as the regional vice president (2017) and was later elected vice president of APAI. 

Ogletree has been a member of the Kansas PRB since 2011 and was named chair in 2016. He currently serves as a member of the Kansas Sentencing Commission. He began his career at Lansing Correctional Facility as a corrections officer in 1989. 

The conference included many opportunities for members to attend sessions on a variety of topics. Audrey Cress, director of KDOC Office of Victim Services, presented a session on vicarious trauma, a shift in world view that can come after being repeatedly exposed to the traumatic experience of others. Individuals who work in the corrections field can develop symptoms similar to PTSD, and the session included strategies to guard against the cumulative effect of exposure to negative information.

APAI exclusively serves parole and releasing authorities, and is a national and international resource and discussion network for the exchange of information within all areas impacting parole. Its mission is to enhance public safety and the recognition of victim rights by being involved with the development of national and international research-based parole policy.

The Kansas PRB is looking forward to hosting next year’s APAI Conference in Kansas City, MO, scheduled for April 2023