Criminal Justice in Kansas

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 206: Requiring any person convicted of distribution of a controlled substance causing great bodily harm or death or register under the Kansas offender registration act for 15 years.

SB 206 expands Kansas' offender registration requirements to include individuals convicted of distributing controlled substances that cause great bodily harm or death. This bill amends the Kansas Offender Registration Act to explicitly define such individuals as "drug offenders" who must register for 15 years. It directly affects people convicted under these specific drug distribution offenses, requiring them to comply with the state's registration system. The change adds this category to existing requirements for sex offenders and violent offenders under the law.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

in committee · Kansas · House Feb 20, 2025

HB 2179: Prohibiting fines and fees from being assessed against a juvenile or a juvenile's parent, guardian or custodian in a case pursuant to the revised Kansas juvenile justice code.

HB 2179 prohibits courts from imposing fines, fees, costs, or other financial obligations against juveniles or their parents, guardians, or custodians in cases under Kansas' juvenile justice system. It requires the automatic discharge of all existing court-ordered financial obligations related to juvenile cases as of July 1, 2025, and mandates the immediate release of juveniles held solely for nonpayment. The bill explicitly excludes restitution payments from this prohibition. This legislation amends multiple statutes to implement these changes across Kansas' juvenile justice code.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Juvenile Justice Victims' Rights

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2325: Authorizing judges to commit juvenile offenders to detention for technical violations of probation, increasing the cumulative detention limit for juvenile offenders and increasing criminal penalties for juvenile offenders who use a firearm in the commission of an offense or who are repeat offenders.

HB 2325 allows judges in Kansas to commit juvenile offenders to detention for technical violations of probation (such as missing appointments), which were previously excluded from detention. It increases the maximum total time a juvenile can be held in detention (cumulative detention limit) and raises criminal penalties for juveniles who use a firearm during an offense or have prior offenses. The bill amends specific sections of Kansas's juvenile justice code to implement these changes, directly affecting juvenile offenders in the state who face probation violations or firearm-related crimes. These provisions adjust sentencing and supervision practices under the revised juvenile justice framework.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Firearms Juvenile Justice Probation & Parole

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2224: Requiring a law enforcement officer executing a search warrant at residential premises to be uniformed and to knock and announce themselves before entering the property.

HB 2224 requires Kansas law enforcement officers to be properly uniformed and to knock on the door while announcing their presence before entering a residential property to execute a search warrant. This applies specifically to "dwellings" as defined in the bill - buildings or portions used as homes or residences. The bill amends Kansas law (K.S.A. 22-2510) to add these requirements, replacing the previous standard for residential warrant executions. It does not change when warrants may be executed (any time of day) but adds procedural steps for officer conduct at homes. The law takes effect upon publication in the statute book.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2401: Providing that prior convictions of a crime that is determined unconstitutional by an appellate court shall not be used for criminal history scoring purposes unless the basis of the determination of unconstitutionality by the appellate court is later overruled or reversed.

HB 2401 modifies Kansas sentencing guidelines to prevent using prior convictions for crimes later deemed unconstitutional by a higher court in criminal history scoring. It directly affects individuals with prior convictions for laws invalidated by appellate courts, ensuring those convictions no longer impact sentencing severity. The bill adds a specific provision to Kansas law (K.S.A. 21-6810) stating such prior convictions cannot be counted unless the court’s ruling on unconstitutionality is later reversed by the Kansas Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court. This change applies to all future sentencing cases where the prior conviction stems from a statute found unconstitutional. The bill does not alter current sentences but prevents the use of these invalidated convictions in calculating criminal history scores.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Sentencing

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 185: Providing that certain legal violations relating to victims of crime are not grounds for appeal in a criminal case.

SB 185 amends Kansas law to clarify that failures to provide victims of crime with rights or notifications (as outlined in the "Bill of Rights for Victims of Crime Act") cannot be used as grounds to appeal a criminal conviction or sentence. This directly affects criminal defendants who might otherwise attempt to overturn a conviction by arguing that victim rights were not properly honored during proceedings. The bill specifically states that courts cannot reverse or modify a conviction based on such failures, while maintaining the existing victim rights provisions. It updates K.S.A. 74-7333 to remove appealability of these procedural violations.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Victims' Rights

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 245: Providing that no person shall be sentenced to death for crimes committed after July 1, 2025, and creating the crime of aggravated murder.

SB 245 prohibits the death penalty for crimes committed after July 1, 2025, replacing it with a mandatory life sentence without parole for a new crime called "aggravated murder." This applies specifically to severe offenses like killings during kidnappings for ransom, contract killings, murders of law enforcement officers, or killings of children under 14 during sex-related kidnappings. Individuals convicted of aggravated murder after the effective date will serve life in prison with no possibility of release, parole, or commutation. The bill repeals existing death penalty provisions and amends related statutes to implement these changes.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Probation & Parole

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 157: Requiring search warrants to be issued only on the statement of facts sufficient to show probable cause made by a law enforcement officer, warrants issued for failure to appear to be provided to a compensated surety, bond forfeiture to be set aside in certain circumstances and remission if the defendant is returned to custody in certain circumstances and prohibiting a compensated surety from making loans for certain portions of the required minimum appearance bond premium.

SB 157 amends Kansas law governing appearance bonds and bond forfeitures. It requires law enforcement to issue warrants for defendants' failure to appear within 14 days and provide copies to compensated sureties (bondsmen) within that timeframe. The bill allows courts to set aside bond forfeitures if sureties prove defendants left the country or if warrants weren't timely provided, and mandates 95% remission of the bond amount if defendants are returned to custody within 180 days of forfeiture. This directly affects defendants who skip court, sureties who post bonds, and courts handling bond enforcement. The law replaces existing provisions in K.S.A. 22-2807 with these new requirements.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Courts Law Enforcement

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 158: Allowing persons with felony drug convictions to receive benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

SB 158 removes a ban preventing individuals with felony drug convictions from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Kansas. The bill amends Kansas Statute 39-709 to eliminate the disqualification based on such convictions, allowing eligible Kansans to access food assistance if they meet other standard requirements like income limits. This change directly affects people with prior felony drug convictions who previously could not qualify for SNAP benefits despite meeting other eligibility criteria. The key mechanism is a straightforward update to the state's eligibility statute, aligning Kansas law with federal SNAP rules that permit such access.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2272: Providing that no person shall be sentenced to death for crimes committed after July 1, 2025, and creating the crime of aggravated murder.

HB 2272 prohibits death sentences for crimes committed in Kansas after July 1, 2025, replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole for future cases. It creates a new crime called "aggravated murder," defined as intentional killings during specific severe circumstances like kidnapping for ransom, contract killings, prison violence, sex offenses, or killing multiple victims. Anyone convicted of aggravated murder under this bill will receive a mandatory life sentence without parole. The law affects all future murder defendants in Kansas who would have been eligible for the death penalty under prior law.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Probation & Parole

All criminal justice bills