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FY2025 Community Programs Juvenile Justice Involved Youth Programs

David Thompson — 2024-05-15T13:00:00Z

The Kansas Department of Corrections is pleased to announce the release of a grant application to help support communities in providing services to youth that are at risk for juvenile offenders and their families, juvenile’s experiencing behavioral health crisis and their families and children who have been administered a risk and needs assessment and have been identified as needing services pursuant to KSA 38-2292 (Youth identified as CINC – Child in Need of Care). Eligible Applicants: Governmental Entities and Community-based Agencies or Service Providers Applications accepted throughout the year, beginning Fiscal Year 2025. First round deadline July 15th, 2024. Applications may be submitted through the AmpliFund online

Lansing Correctional Facility's Fallen Staff Memorial 05 09 2024

David Thompson — 2024-05-09T22:00:00Z

"Working in corrections is challenging and can be dangerous. For over 150 years, the staff of the Kansas State Penitentiary now known as Lansing Correctional Facility have kept watch over those incarcerated at Lansing to keep the citizens of Kansas safe. Over the years, staff have faced acts of violence and a deadly pandemic. Nine staff members have made the ultimate sacrifice while carrying out their duties at Lansing. It is hard to say farewell to those we have lost in death. However, we will never forget our fallen brothers. We will keep their memories alive in our hearts and minds. May we find comfort in remembering our friends and loved ones for how they lived. They were husbands, fathers, brothers, friends, and co-workers. Each left their mark on Lansing. Let us take time to remember the nine fallen whose footsteps we follow in."

- Jesse Howes, LCF Warden

KJCC / Kansas Childrens Discovery Ctr Visitation 02 20 2024

David Thompson — 2024-03-20T13:15:00Z

The partnership between the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Childrens Discovery Center continues to flourish within a couple of our Visitation Rooms. KCDC has held numerous on-site visits with mothers and grandmothers with their children and grandchildren on the grounds of their Topeka Museum that is filled with games and learning activities. KDOC is slowly integrating the male facilities' Visitation Rooms utilizing KCDC'S Mobile Museum. They recently opened shop for a test run at Hutchinson Correctional Facility. And last month, they made a first time visit to the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex where 5 young dads were able to see and visit their children, three of whom were seeing their newborn child for the first time.

KDOC Healthcare Checkup2024 Part 1

David Thompson — 2024-01-24T23:00:00Z

Many health problems that plague our world outside the fences, plague our world inside the fences at an even greater rate; increasing demand for healthcare services for cancer patients, substance abuse, and care for the elderly are common issues within state correctional facilities. We admit we are not perfect in addressing these problems, but healthcare within the Kansas Department of Corrections is doing a lot with what is given to us.

In looking at the healthcare provided for residents within KDOC, we offer you the first of a three-part series looking at ways KDOC is addressing these issues. This week, we hear how developing a working relationship with the contract partner, Centurion of Kansas LLC, has enabled positive ideas to be turned into positive outcomes.

TCF Offsite Visits - Kansas Childrens Discovery Center

David Thompson — 2023-11-15T18:00:00Z

The PLAY FREE Program is a daylong visit for Residents at the Topeka Correctional Facility who have earned the privilege to be offsite with their children or grandchildren at the The Kansas Children's Discovery Center in Topeka. The program has partnered with TCF since 2018. This program is open for six visits per year where children of incarcerated mothers/grandmothers can explore in an educational playground setting. The Kansas Department of Corrections is grateful for organizations like the Kansas Childrens Discovery Center who also believe in second chance opportunities while helping children of incarcerated parents.

Megan Milner Biography

Nancy Burghart — 2023-05-31T15:55:22Z

Megan Milner began her career in the field of corrections and criminal justice in 2000. Her experience ranges from juvenile intake and assessment, substance abuse treatment, family drug court, correctional facility administration, training, reentry services, assessments and program evaluation. Megan was previously the Superintendent at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex. Before serving as the Superintendent, Megan served as the Director of Community-Based Services, working with Kansas communities and stakeholders on issues impacting supervision and resources available to system-involved individuals. Megan is a certified public manager, holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Washburn University and a Master's in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.

Why I Love Working for KDOC

David Thompson — 2023-03-23T11:55:00Z

In their own words, our Unsung Heroes share why they love the work of corrections.

$1.5 million grant funding available to help juvenile services

David Thompson — 2023-02-07T19:00:00Z

The Kansas Department of Corrections is pleased to announce $1.5 million in funding available for a new juvenile services grant opportunity. The Supporting Community Organizations in Improving Outcomes for Juvenile Offenders and Families grant seeks to assist community non-profit organizations in developing and implementing evidence-based community programs and practices for juvenile offenders and juveniles experiencing mental health crisis and their families. More information regarding this opportunity can be found at: Grant Listing — (ks.gov)

Juvenile KAR

Libby Snider — 2022-08-22T18:49:35Z

Kansas Administrative Regulations relating to juvenile corrections

From the Secretary

Carol Pitts — 2022-06-03T20:02:48Z

Statistical Summary FY2021 Community Corrections Offender Population

Nancy Burghart — 2022-01-25T21:41:37Z

Adult Residential Center Standards

Marie McNeal — 2021-12-08T16:46:59Z

Operating Standards for Community Corrections Adult Residential Centers

Statistical Summary: FY2019 Community Corrections Offender Population

Marie McNeal — 2021-11-10T19:30:23Z

Statistical Summary: FY2019 Community Corrections Offender Population

KDOC History

Carol Pitts — 2021-02-02T21:49:16Z

Our roots at KDOC are as old as our State, dating to the 1860’s with the establishment of the Lansing State Penitentiary. And really, our corrections roots are much older, with incarceration as a form of criminal punishment becoming wide-spread in the United States just before the American Revolution, and penal incarceration efforts in England dating to the early 1500’s with prisons in the form of dungeons existing since long before then.

That beginning was followed by different waves of change in the U.S., bringing new mechanisms such as parole, probation and indeterminate sentencing into mainstream penal practice. Equally rooted in our history is the American favor of the concept of reform and rehabilitation of offenders to become law-abiding citizens. This dates to the post-colonial days of our nation.

In more recent history, in 1973 the Kansas Legislature re-codified our purpose, which in part says “… apply this act and acts of which it is amendatory or supplemental liberally to rehabilitate, train, treat, educate and prepare persons convicted of felony in this state for entry or reentry into the social and economic system of the community….” This law remains in effect to this day. In addition, we now benefit from over four decades of scientific research defining the key principles to reducing crime, principles that align with this statutory purpose.

Crossover Youth Practice Model

Nancy Burghart — 2020-12-31T06:00:00Z

About the Crossover Youth Practice Model from Georgetown University’s Center for Youth Justice

Recognizing the need for early identification and intervention of youth and families crossing over between the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, the Kansas Department of Corrections – Juvenile Services (KDOC-JS) entered into a contract with Georgetown University’s Center for Youth Justice (CYJ), previously known as the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) to implement the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM). KDOC-JS has partnered with the Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the Office of Judicial Administration (OJA) on CYPM implementation in two Kansas pilot sites, with goals of expanding the work to other areas of the state.

“In 2010, CJJR developed the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) to address the unique needs of youth that are at risk of or are fluctuating between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. These youth are commonly referred to as “crossover youth.”

To view the Kansas Department for Children and Families' Crossover Youth information, click here.

The Crossover Youth Practice Model is a nexus between research and best practices that outlines systemic changes youth serving systems can make to improve their ability to serve youth.

The CYPM has four overarching goals:

Reduction in the number of youth crossing over and becoming dually-involved;
Reduction in the number of youth placed in out-of-home care;
Reduction in the use of congregate care; and
Reduction in the disproportionate representation of youth of color, particularly in the crossover population”

To learn more about the CYPM, please visit Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at https://cjjr.georgetown.edu/our-work/crossover-youth-practice-model/.

CYPM TOOLKIT

The Toolkit provides an introduction to the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM). It includes how CYPM was originated, processes for local infrastructure to support cross-system work, how to identify and meet training needs, developing a cross-system case management process, and an over view of how court structure and judicial systems can be involved. The Toolkit is meant to assist counties in Kansas with creating their own version of the CYPM. Information contained in the toolkit is based on facilitated work completed by the Crossover Youth State Policy Team and the counties that have implemented CYPM (i.e., Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Montgomery counties), but is intended to be general enough that any community in Kansas can interpret and enact the stated principles in a manner that best suits the jurisdiction. To access the Toolkit click here.

KJCC and Foster Care Provider Protocols

State Policy Team

The State Policy team (SPT) is a multi-system and multi-agency collaboration at the state level used to identify and remove barriers and to address obstacles encountered by crossover youth and their families.