Kansas

Kansas Appleseed is dedicated to vulnerable and excluded Kansans. Through collaborations with pro bono attorneys and community partners, they investigate social, economic, and political injustice in Kansas and advocate for systemic solutions.  Kansas Appleseed serves as a voice for the public at large and for individuals and groups who are without effective legal representation. The Kansas Appleseed board comprises leading Kansas attorneys who volunteer their expertise to improve the fair administration of justice.

Bill Number: SB 367

Type of Reform

Raise the Floor Transfer Reform - Raised the minimum age of transfer of youth to adult court from 12 to 14; also removed existing presumptions that youth should be tried as an adult if they are a certain age and are charged with an offense that is at a certain severity level. The bill also removed the burden of proof from the youth and instead required that the state rebut the presumption that a child should be tried and treated as a juvenile by a preponderance of the evidence. Finally, the bill removed the presumption that a youth will be transferred to district court if there is probable cause that a felony has been committed as well as the presumption that once a youth has been convicted as an adult they must be treated as an adult in all future prosecutions.

Year: 2015

Bill Number: HB 2336

Type of Reform

Jail Removal - Allowed youth ages 16 and 17 who have been prosecuted and convicted as adults to be placed in a juvenile correctional facility. Before this change in the law, youth who were prosecuted and convicted as adults were not eligible for placement in a juvenile facility. 

Year: 2015