The primary responsibility of the Kansas Department of Corrections is the safety of the public, staff and residents. Residents are encouraged to report any safety concerns to corrections staff who are available 24 hours a day. If at any time a resident does not feel safe, the resident should speak with a staff person or fill out a confidential Form-9.

Friends and family who have concerns or who are told of an resident's safety concerns also are encouraged to contact the KDOC. A resident has several options to report sexual misconduct whether by another resident or staff. Residents can report sexual misconduct to any staff member, through a Form-9 or by calling the KDOC’s sexual abuse helpline by dialing #50 from any inmate phone.

All helpline calls are free, confidential and may be anonymous. Family members or friends should report in-custody sexual misconduct by calling the KDOC’s toll-free confidential line at 1-888-317-8204.

Callers to this number also may remain anonymous. 

Is protective custody available?
Protective custody is the removal of a resident from the general population to a secure cell for their personal safety. If a resident is determined to have a valid safety concern and no reasonable alternative is available, a resident can be moved into protective custody.  

How do family and friends file a complaint or voice their concerns to staff?

What about staff sexual misconduct?
The KDOC has a zero tolerance policy with regard to staff sexual misconduct and inappropriate staff/resident relationships. Staff sexual misconduct includes sexual abuse or attempted sexual abuse, sexual contact, sexual assault, unlawful sexual relations and sexual harassment. It also includes conversations or correspondence that suggest or demonstrate a romantic or intimate relationship between a resident and an employee. Employees and contract personnel who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal. In addition to a zero tolerance policy with regard to staff sexual misconduct and inappropriate staff/resident relationships, K.S.A. 21-3520 prohibits “unlawful sexual relations” between staff and residents. Unlawful sexual relations includes “engaging in consensual sexual intercourse, lewd fondling or touching, or sodomy.” Unlawful sexual relations is a level 5 felony offense. 

What is segregation?
An resident can either be placed in the Segregation Unit or the Intensive Management Unit (IMU) for several reasons including: protective custody, isolation to prevent the spread of communicable disease, to prevent self-harm or mutilation, critical monitoring of potentially suicidal residents, to protect the resident population from identified predators, as part of a disciplinary sanction, or for separation of residents who have conflicts with each other. In these units, residents have tighter restrictions of movement but are still allowed such things as religious guidance and exercise periods. 

Is the KDOC compliant with standards established under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA)?
Please review the KDOC's PREA Data section for up-to-date information.

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2021 Presentation by KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda: Second Chance Hiring

Jeff Zmuda, Kansas Secretary of Corrections, shares his thoughts on the wide-ranging benefits of "second chance hiring." KDOC residents in our correctional facilities provide a skilled, dependable workforce to solve labor shortages, gaining essential skills they need to be successful post-release.

Second Change Hiring, 2021, presentation by Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda

January 2021 KDOC Program Evaluation Results

In January 2021 an evaluation of the Kansas Correctional Industries (KCI) and KDOC's Private Industry Program was completed by Eric J. Lichtenberger, Ph.D. The study explored the impact on post-release employment and recidivism.

An Evaluation of Kansas Correctional Industries/Private Industries (KCI/PI) Programs, January 2021

Additional Research and Reports

Findings in a 2008 research conducted by the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center found:

• Eight months after release, only 45 percent of former incarcerated persons were currently employed
• Most relied upon family and friends for income after release
• Those who held jobs while in prison and participated in job training programs while incarcerated had better employment outcomes after release

Citation: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/32106/411778-Employment-after-Prison-A-Longitudinal-Study-of-Releasees-in-Three-States.PDF

Prison Policy Initiative examined rates of unemployment among formerly incarcerated people finding they are almost five times more likely than the general public to be unemployed, and many who are employed remain relegated to the most insecure jobs. 
Citation: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/outofwork.html

Rand Corporation had conducted research on educational needs recognizing that individuals who leave federal and state prisons return to communities where they have to compete with others for jobs. 

“As already noted, according to RAND’s research, inmates who participate in correctional education programs have a 13-percentage-point reduction in their risk of returning to prison; this indicates that every $1 invested in education can reduce future incarceration costs in the near term. More concretely, we estimated that every dollar invested in prison education programs saves taxpayers, on average, between $4 and $5 in three-year reincarceration costs.”
Citation: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE342.html

Learn more about Correctional Facility Work Programs

The Second Chance Business Coalition promotes the benefits of second change employment and provides employers with resources to hire and provide career advancement to people with criminal records.

• https://secondchancebusinesscoalition.org/
• https://secondchancebusinesscoalition.org/get-started
• https://www.gettingtalentbacktowork.org/

The Prison Post #30 Jeff Korzenik, Author of Untapped Talent https://t.co/KttpH3l0Ne?amp=1

Untapped Talent, Jeff Korzenik https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOm5WTn246GMBIBG1JeJb9w

Second Chance Project — Dave's Killer Bread https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1R2v6Us7MEEWn91Pnd8u9w

Google Small Business Stories: Nehemiah Manufacturing Company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-0yWGWcupg

Nehemiah Company Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxraJmzPlZg  

Koch Industries Editorial  Take a chance on second-chance hiring | Washington Examiner

Programs

Pre-Release                    Vocational (Aramark)                    GED

Correctional Industries

Aramark.................................. 6 slots
Pioneer Balloon....................... 12 slots  

Community Service Work

Inmates at Winfield Correctional Facility provide thousands of hours of community service work each year to non-profit entities after certification that the service work will not displace community-available jobs. This program provides labor for those approved agencies and provides inmates with valuable job skills and work ethics that they can utilize upon release. Long-term community service work includes:

• Butler County
• City of Arkansas City
• City of El Dorado
• City of Wichita   
• City of Winfield    
• Cowley County Humane Society
• Lion’s Club Sight Project                  
• Kansas Department of Transportation 
• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
• Strother Field
• USD 465

Other Programs

Inmates also can participate in Reaching Out from Within, al self-help program for inmates who are committed to change and to giving back to the community.

Reaching Out From Within is a Kansas City-based non-profit organization founded in 1982 by violence prevention advocate and author SuEllen Fried. The program is dedicated to providing programs that prevent violence in our community. By breaking the cycle of violence, participants become contributing members of their families and society. Incarcerated men and women lead meetings using a curriculum written by offenders that teaches life skills and encourages them to make positive changes in their lives.

The WCF program began in 1994. Meetings, which are open to every inmate in the facility, are held two nights each week. During the meetings, inmates work with various materials and reference books that help in their quest to learn new ways to meet life's challenges and change their behavior. Select program participants, who have met special criteria, routinely speak to students and other groups in their community about choices and consequences.

Giving back to society in a meaningful way is one of the core beliefs of the program. The group gives back to society by supporting charities.

For more information, see the Reaching Out From Within website at http://www.rofw.org.

Overview | Visitor Information | Programs | History | Warden
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