Kansas Inmate Records

The Kansas prison system has approximately 19,000 incarcerated individuals in different correctional facilities. These include about 8,709 inmates in state-run facilities, approximately 6,600 in local jails, and an estimated 3,100 in federal prisons, which indicates an incarceration rate of 292 per 100,000 residents. Kansas's imprisonment rate is lower than the national average of 355 out of 100,000 United States' total population. State-run correctional facilities have a design capacity of 9,164 and an operational capacity of 8,521.

Inmate records are files and documents regarding incarcerated individuals maintained by correctional facilities. In Kansas, each prison or jail authority, including local, state, and federal government agencies in charge of correctional facility administration, must maintain accurate records of all inmates in their custody. Such records may be kept as physical files or electronic databases for ease of access.

A typical Kansas inmate record has the following information:

• Personal Information - Personal information in an inmate's record includes full name, gender, date of birth, race, age, weight, height, eye color, and hair color.
• Arrest Record - This includes the arrest charges, date of arrest, place of arrest, the arrest warrant, and details of the arresting law enforcement agency.
• Court Record- This includes trial details, case number, judgment, and court order.
• Conviction and Sentencing Information - This includes the crime severity level, offense date, sentencing date, case status, criminal conviction description, and counts.
• Status and Release Information - This includes an inmate's admission date, current status, current location, custody level, work or program participation, and the earliest possible release date.
• Disciplinary Reports - These include the type of report (infraction), date, location of the infraction, and the class of disciplinary action.

Are Inmate Records Public in Kansas?

Inmate records in Arkansas are subject to public disclosure under the state's Open Records Act (KORA). Members of the public may inspect and obtain copies of most inmate records in the state unless expressly exempt from disclosure by specific state or federal law. Such exempt records include sealed, expunged, and juvenile inmate records. Similarly, certain private or privileged pieces of information in inmate records are exempt from disclosure. They include medical records, criminal investigation records, social security numbers, and other records closed by rules of evidence.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in Kansas?

Agencies responsible for inmate records and correctional facilities management in Kansas include the following:

• The Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC) - All the inmates housed in the 9 state-run correctional facilities in the state are overseen by the Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC), which also keeps up-to-date records of each inmate. Generally, the majority of offenders housed in each DOC facility are those convicted of felonies punishable by more than one year in prison under Kansas law.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - The two federal prisons and one administrative office in Kansas are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Individuals sentenced to these facilities are offenders convicted of committing federal crimes or violating federal laws within the state's boundaries, and the BOP is responsible for keeping accurate records of such inmates.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The county sheriff's offices across Kansas State have jurisdiction over local jails operating in the state. Local jails are primarily short-term holding correctional facilities for offenders sentenced to no more than 1 year of incarceration for misdemeanors or mild felonies and persons awaiting trial or sentencing. Each of the 105 local jails is overseen by a county sheriff's office, which also maintains the records of inmates incarcerated in those jails.
• Police Departments - Typically, police departments do not assume custody of convicted offenders in Kansas, but they maintain records of arrests resulting in such convictions. Arrest records are a vital portion of inmate records in the state.

How To Search an Inmate's Information in Kansas

Knowing where an inmate is housed or held in Kansas is important for anyone intending to look up information or records about the inmate of interest.

Find an inmate in the Kansas State Prisons

Members of the public may find records of inmates in the custody of the state-run prisons in Kansas through the Kansas Adult Supervised Population Electronic Repository (KASPA). KASPA facilitates inmate information search by name and KDOC number. While searching by an inmate's KDOC number retrieves the exact record of the inmate whose record is sought, interested persons may still conduct name-based searches. However, a name-based search may return multiple results from which the finder will have to select the record of their inmate of interest. Typical information included in an inmate record retrieved through KASPA includes personal information, convictions, and the current status of the inmate.

Although KASPA provides a handful of inmate information, a more detailed record about an inmate may be obtained by visiting the state-run correctional facility where the inmate is incarcerated. Typically, the custodian may require a requester to submit a written application, which must include basic information like the inmate's name, gender, date of birth, and KDOC number to help facilitate the search.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

Information regarding inmates housed in local jails operated by county sheriff's offices in Kansas may be accessed through inmate search tools managed by the sheriff's offices. Many of the sheriff's offices maintain links to such inmate search resources on their websites that enable users to look up inmate information by parameters like name, gender, admission date, and booking date.

However, anyone who wishes to retrieve a more detailed record of an offender in one of the local jails in Kansas should consider visiting the jail facility in person. Before embarking on the visit, make sure to contact the record custodian in the local jail to ascertain whether an appointment is required. Typically, requesters will need information such as an inmate's name, birth date, admission date, offense, and gender to be able to find detailed records of the inmate in person at their holding facility.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

To find information regarding an inmate who is housed in a federal prison in Kansas, use the BOP Inmate Locator to conduct either a name-based or a BOP register number-based search. The Inmate Locator is a repository of records for federal inmates incarcerated in all federal correctional facilities, including Leavenworth FCI and Kansas City RRM, from 1982 to date. Inmate information retrieved from any search conducted on the BOP Inmate Locator includes the name, sex, custody status, release date, and location of the inmate whose record is sought.

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

KASPA has records of offenders sentenced to state-run prisons in Kansas since 1980, including those who have been discharged from their sentences. Unless an old inmate conviction has been removed from public record, either by expungement, executive clemency, or overturning by appeal, no record or information is removed from the KASPA database. Hence, anyone may retrieve the record of a formerly incarcerated inmate in Kansas state prisons with their name or KDOC number through KASPA, provided the inmate was discharged after 1980.

Information regarding former inmates who served prison sentences in the federal prisons located in Kansas may be accessed through the National Archives or by submitting a FOIA request to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Similarly, to obtain old inmate records for offenders who served prison terms in state-run correctional facilities, interested individuals may submit KORA (open records) requests online to the DOC or mail their written requests to:

Credible third-party websites such as Kansaspublicrecords.us are also viable resources for looking up old inmate records in the state. This is because these sites typically regularly gather records of offenders incarcerated in the state and keep them in their databases, where they never get deleted. Interested persons can access such information anytime at a small fee.

Alternatively, when a person needs detailed records of old inmates in Kansas, they can visit the prisons or jails where the former inmates were incarcerated. In other words, whether a former inmate served their sentence in a local jail, state-run prison, or federal prison in the state, detailed information about them may be accessed by submitting a request in person to a designated custodian of such records.

Can I Find a Kansas Inmate Record for Free?

Yes. Kansas inmate records are available free of charge through inmate locators provided by each prison or jail authority in the state. For instance, while the state's Department of Corrections offers free inmate information lookup for offenders housed in state-run correctional facilities through KASPA, records of inmates held in county jails are accessible for free through inmate locators provided by county sheriff's offices. Similarly, the BOP Inmate Locator allows members of the public to find records of federal inmates free of charge. However, these online resources are limited in scope. Each may only provide information for inmates under the jurisdiction of their supervising agency.

To find a Kansas inmate record, regardless of where they are incarcerated or which prison/jail authority oversees them, consider using reliable third-party online services like Kansaspublicrecords.us. These sites are a one-stop database for records of all inmates in state, local, and federal prisons in the state, and they provide centralized access to such records at a nominal fee.

Jails and Prisons in Kansas

Kansas correctional facilities are grouped into the following based on their management structure:

• State Prisons - These correctional facilities are overseen by the Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC). The state currently has 9 prisons under the DOC's supervision and management.
• Federal Prisons - The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) manages two federal prisons in Kansas and one administrative office that provides oversight and support to correctional facilities in the Bureau's Northern Central Region.
• Local Jails - Kansas has an estimated 105 local jails, each supervised by a county sheriff's office.

State Prisons in Kansas

State correctional facilities run by the Kansas Department of Corrections are listed in the table below:

Private Prisons in Kansas

There are no private correctional facilities in Kansas.

Kansas Inmate Statistics

• Kansas Incarceration Rate - 292 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 534 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 48 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 106 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 0
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 6.3:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 1.4:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision - 888 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 630 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 228 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 0.9%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics