Housing Options for Formerly Incarcerated People (Department of Corrections)

October 26, 2018
Sarika Ram
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 62734
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516

Dear Ms. Ram,

I am writing in response to your Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request to the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) for the following information:

1. Any informational and educational materials distributed in correctional facilities about housing options available to inmates post-release
2. Any currently valid policies/procedures detailing Department reentry services specific to accessing housing options post-release
3. Any statistical reports detailing admission and release trends from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
4. Any statistical reports detailing recidivism data from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
5. Any statistical reports regarding inmates' housing status prior to and following commitment to the Department from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
In accordance with K.S.A. 45-218 (d), we have begun the process of determining if we possess any public records meeting the terms of your request and how best to proceed. Soon we will provide you with one or more of the following:

1. Copies of the requested public records.
2. A statement concerning our inability to locate any public records meeting the terms of your request.
3. A request for additional clarification concerning the types of records or information you are seeking.
4. Record requests that can be provided with less than one hour of staff time will not be billed for labor. If we determine that our office possesses the public records you request, but are voluminous, difficult to locate, and/or contain information that may include open and closed information, we will provide you with a written estimate of the fees that we will require be pre-paid in order to pay for the actual costs associated with (a) locating and/or retrieving the public records from storage, (b) staff time spent in assisting with making copies of the records, including staff time spent examining the records for possible closure and/or redaction, and (c) copying and mailing the requested public records. In addition to billing for labor that exceed one hour of staff time, the following rates shall apply:

* Copies, 25 cents per page after 100 pages

* Staff time will be charged at the rate of pay for each person whose time is used in order to assist and/or respond to a specific request. This may include the time spent to access records maintained on computer facilities, review records to determine whether closure exceptions apply and /or to redact open from closed information. For the purpose of transparency, our rates are as follows: general staff time will be charged at $20 per hour, and information technology (IT) services and Legal staff services will be charged at $38 per hour.
* Additional fees may be assessed if any other costs are incurred by KDOC in connection with complying with a record request. KDOC will provide an estimate of the fees which shall be paid prior to the department gathering the records. In order to ensure payment, the final cost of providing access to or furnishing copies must be paid before the records are provided. If the final cost is less than the estimate, the requestor will be reimbursed for the difference.

1. If we determine that we do possess the records, but that the records are subject to closure by law, we will provide you with that information with a written citation to the laws allowing or requiring that type of public record to be closed.
We will respond as soon as possible to your Kansas Open Records Act request. Thank you.
Sincerely,

Cheryl Cadue
Publications Editor
Kansas Department of Corrections
785-296-1928
Cheryl.Cadue@ks.gov
KDOC_Pub@ks.gov

October 29, 2018
Sarika Ram
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 62734
411A Highland Ave
Somerville, MA 02144-2516

Dear Ms. Ram,

In response to your Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request to the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), I am providing the following information:

1. Any informational and educational materials distributed in correctional facilities about housing options available to inmates post-release
RESPONSE:
The KDOC does not have any document that addresses housing options post release. Any listing of housing options provided to a releasing inmate is developed locally and changes from day to day.

1. Any currently valid policies/procedures detailing Department reentry services specific to accessing housing options post-release
RESPONSE:
I have attached Internal Management Policy and Procedure (IMPP) 11-117, "Decision Making: Risk-Reduction-Based Reentry and Release Planning," which contains information about the release planning process that best addresses this portion of your request.

1. Any statistical reports detailing admission and release trends from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
RESPONSE:
The KDOC collects its data based on its fiscal year which runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. Therefore, all KDOC published reports published reports are done by the fiscal year. I have attached the KDOC annual reports that provide admission and release data and that fit the timeframe you requested. The annual reports are also available online at: https://www.doc.ks.gov/publications/publications/Reports

1. Any statistical reports detailing recidivism data from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
RESPONSE:

The KDOC follows recidivism counting rules based on the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) defined parameters as measured on a 12-month calendar year. However, please note that recidivism data is based on tracking individuals who return to prison within three years. Therefore, the KDOC does not have recidivism data available from calendar year 2017. This data will not be available until the KDOC's FY 2021 Annual Report is complete.

The recidivism data that is available can be found in the attached annual reports which are also available online at: https://www.doc.ks.gov/publications/publications/Reports

1. Any statistical reports regarding inmates' housing status prior to and following commitment to the Department from between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
The KDOC does not collect data on an inmate's housing status prior to incarceration and has no data available for your request. However, the KDOC's reentry staff did look at residence plan types for inmates releasing in FY 2017. This was not done in conjunction with any published report. Also, the KDOC does not have a similar chart for other timeframes.
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I believe this fulfills your request. Thank you.
Sincerely,

Cheryl Cadue
Publications Editor
Kansas Department of Corrections
785-296-1928
Cheryl.Cadue@ks.gov
KDOC_Pub@ks.gov