August 9, 2019
Contact
Randy Bowman, Executive Director of Public Affairs
785-296-5656
Randall.Bowman@ks.gov
Kansas Department of Corrections Signs Contract for Out-of-state Prison Beds
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) announced today that it has entered into a contract to send Kansas inmates to a private prison in Arizona. The Department anticipates sending up to 360 inmates by the end of the year. A total of 600 inmates could be sent under terms of the one-year contract with two additional one-year renewal options.
The agreement with Nashville-based CoreCivic, which will provide some relief to the overcapacity challenges in Kansas prisons, will move in phases to the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz. Moving in groups of up to 120 inmates at a time, the first group will move by the end of the summer with the final group moving by the end of December 2019.
“Sending Kansas inmates to another state is an option we wish we could avoid,” Acting Secretary Jeff Zmuda said. “Entering into this contract to accommodate growth in the prison population is the best option available at this time for the safety of our staff and inmates.”
On August 8, 2019, the KDOC had an inmate population of 9,088 male and 914 female offenders, which is projected to increase and already exceeds capacity by 75 for males and seven for females.
The contract provides for an on-site monitor who reports directly to KDOC and has unfettered access to the facility for the purpose of ensuring that the conditions are appropriate and up to Kansas standards. Additionally, it guarantees that KDOC officials can visit and inspect the facility at any time, no questions asked.
CoreCivic will provide transportation to and from the Arizona facility for medium- and maximum- custody inmates while providing that inmates live under healthy, sanitary and safe conditions in the facility. They will also provide for training, treatment, recreational and educational services for these inmates to meet the standard of services they would receive in Kansas facilities. CoreCivic will also provide, with no cost to inmates, video visitation services. These visitations will serve both to keep inmates connected to their families in Kansas, and to connect them with re-entry services and any hearings they may be eligible for. The cost is $74.76 per inmate per day.
Governor Laura Kelly and the KDOC had asked the 2019 Kansas Legislature for the resources to provide this additional capacity, recognizing that additional options also will be necessary to address the capacity challenges in Kansas.
This spring, the KDOC also reached out to the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association for potential bed space. Three county jails responded that their facilities could provide approximately 30 males and 13 female beds. The Governor also signed into law House Bill 2290, which includes the creation of the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission. The Commission will review the criminal justice system and is scheduled to submit an interim report to the Legislature on or before December 1, 2019, and a final report with recommendations a year later.
A copy of the contract will be available from the Kansas Department of Administration, Office of Facilities and Procurement Management, on August 10, 2019 at http://da.ks.gov/purch/Contracts/.
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Contact:
Cheryl Cadue, Public Information Officer
785-296-1928
Cheryl.Cadue@ks.gov
Kansas Department of Corrections Announces Joel Hrabe as Deputy Secretary of Facilities Management
Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Acting Secretary Jeff Zmuda today announced that Joel Hrabe has been selected to serve as the agency’s deputy secretary of facilities management.
Effective August 11, Hrabe will assume his new role as deputy secretary of facilities management, the KDOC’s division that is responsible for the day-to-day management of the state’s eight adult correctional facilities. Currently, Hrabe is serving as the warden for Norton Correctional Facility, a position he has held since 2017.
“I am excited to have Joel working with me at this time and in this capacity,” said Acting Secretary Zmuda. “The population and safety challenges in our facilities are well known, and Joel is the right leader for the important work required to address these challenges.”
During his 27 years at Norton Correctional Facility, Hrabe (pronounced “Rey-bee”) has served as a corrections counselor, classifications administrator and deputy warden. He also has worked with the agency’s Special Operations and Response Team (SORT), helped strengthen emergency response practices and completed National Institute of Corrections (NIC) training in cognitive approaches to changing offender behavior and comprehensive prison classification systems. He also is involved with NIC’s Executive Excellence program and is a graduate of the KDOC’s Leadership Development Academy. Hrabe earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Kansas State University.
The KDOC facilities management division oversees operations of eight adult correctional facilities across Kansas serving just over 10,000 inmates currently.
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