Analysis Area 1: (A) Examine the parole supervised population in Sedgwick County (Wichita) using Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) data to determine any trends pertaining to their supervision and criminogenic risks and needs. (B) Examine the criminal offending pattern of the parole supervised population using WPD data to understand the scope of the public safety challenges this population presents in Sedgwick County.
Background: According to KDOC data, in November 2019, there were 2,214 individuals being supervised on parole in the Wichita area. Nearly half of these people were originally convicted outside of Sedgwick County and hail from outside the South Central Kansas region. In 2019, people supervised on parole were involved in 2,693 WPD police reports and were responsible for 316 violent crimes, 300 property crimes, 58 weapon possession offenses, and 202 drug offenses. Additionally, in 2019, individuals supervised on parole in Sedgwick County were listed as victims of crime in 450 WPD reports.
Update: In January and February 2020, CSG Justice Center staff met with Supervisory Crime Analyst (WPD), Programs and Risk Reduction (KDOC), and Director (Southern Parole Region, KDOC) to discuss the data needs of this project. The conversations focused on answering two questions at the center of this project: who are the individuals supervised on parole in Sedgwick County, and how do they arrive there?
Analysis Area 2: Work to understand the system of social and tangible supports in Sedgwick County and whether in their current form they have the capacity to function effectively by: (A) examining the system of medical, behavioral health, mental health, and substance use treatment services available to the parole population in Sedgwick County; (B) examining the available housing for individuals supervised on parole, including the available housing for specialized populations (i.e., individuals convicted of sex offenses; people with severe mental illnesses, physical disabilities, etc.); (C) examining the parole population’s use of emergency services such as EMS, emergency departments, and fire department deployment.
Background: Unlike many other areas of Kansas, Sedgwick County has numerous behavioral health, medical, mental health, and housing services that are available to the parole population. These services have seen their budgets reduced in recent years and report being overwhelmed by the ever-increasing demand. As a result, many of the people who seek services in Wichita are not able to access them. Even when community service providers are able to serve an individual, the person is often placed in temporary living situations in high-crime areas, which leads to lower likelihoods of successful rehabilitation and higher rates of victimization.
Update: In January, CSG Justice Center staff were in Wichita for a meeting with the Local Leadership Council where, in addition to introducing and refining the project problem statement, they formulated a coordination strategy for addressing challenges in Wichita, and held a roundtable discussion with service provider representatives to identify particular areas of interest/concern regarding the lack of a collaborative service delivery system in Wichita. CSG Justice Center staff worked with the Local Leadership Council to vet a list of local stakeholders that create the social support and services system in the area to ensure that outreach efforts in the coming months would connect CSG Justice Center to the right people, organizations, and types of work. Also in January, CSG Justice Center staff toured two of the city’s three Neighborhood Resource Centers with Director of Neighborhood Engagement Office of the Mayor, who highlighted the centrality of the Centers to the low-income neighborhoods they serve; met with City Council Member (City of Wichita) to discuss the impact of poverty, demand for services, and changing neighborhood dynamics on public safety in the district he represents; and toured COMCARE’s crisis intervention center with Executive Director (COMCARE) and learned about the variety of services it provides to individuals with substance addictions and mental illnesses in Sedgwick County.
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January 2–3, 2020
• 1/2: Meeting with Administrative Captain (WPD), Deputy Chief of Investigations (WPD), Records Captain (WPD), and Supervisory Crime Analyst (WPD) to meet CSG Justice Center staff in person and to gain the law enforcement perspective on the problem statement for the project.
• 1/3: First meeting of the Local Leadership Council for the Wichita project.
• 1/3: Tour of two of the city’s three Neighborhood Resource Centers by Director (Neighborhood Engagement, Office of the Mayor) that serve low-income areas of the city with extensive services.
• 1/3: Meeting with City Council Member ( City of Wichita) to discuss the impact of poverty, demand for services, and changing neighborhood dynamics on public safety in the district he represents.
• 1/3: Toured COMCARE’s crisis intervention center with Executive Director (COMCARE) and learned about the variety of services it provides to individuals with substance addictions and mental illnesses in Sedgwick County.
February 11–13, 2020 Site Visit
• 2/12: Meeting with Executive Director (COMCARE) to discuss engagement with parole population specifically.
• 2/12: Second meeting of the Local Leadership Council that was attended by the council members as well as representatives from the city’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and fire departments.
• 2/12: Tour of the Sedgwick County Jail with Captain (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department).
• 2/13: Tour of Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Facility with Physician (Wesley Woodlawn Emergency Medical Center).
• 2/13: Meeting with Chief Executive Officer (Wichita Rescue Mission) to tour and better understand shelter housing services in Wichita.
Phone Calls:
• 1/17: Call with Administrative Captain, WPD), Deputy Chief of Investigations, WPD), Records Captain (WPD), and Supervisory Crime Analyst (WPD) to discuss key takeaways from the early January site visit and to discuss the project plan and timeline through June 2020.
• 1/22: Call with Supervisory Crime Analyst (WPD) to discuss WPD arrest data for individuals on parole supervision in Sedgwick County.
• 2/4: Call with Captain (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department) to discuss operations and reentry practices at the Sedgwick County Jail and to review data on the current population.
• 2/6: Call with Director (South Parole Region, KDOC) and Programs and Risk Reduction (KDOC) to discuss availability of data specific to the parole population supervised in Sedgwick County and what form a data-sharing agreement would need to take to access those data.
Research Monthly Status:
In January, CSG Justice Center research staff worked to identify the types of data that would be needed for this project and which state and local agencies should be contacted about requesting data. Research staff also spent time obtaining and analyzing data on supervision activity pulled from published reports.
In February, CSG Justice Center research staff discussed data elements needed for this project with the KDOC and drafted requests for case-level data from the KDOC and the WPD. Research staff also spent time obtaining data on arrest activity in Wichita, pulled from published reports.
2/3/2020: Call with KDOC staff to discuss what data is tracked for parole activity and the process for requesting and obtaining the data.
2/3/2020: Created data request form to send to KDOC.
2/7/2020: Created data request form to send to WPD.
2/28/2020: Obtained WPD annual reports published online to see what data they track that can be requested/analyzed for this project.
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