To Develop and Maintain a Monitoring System That Allows for Comprehensive Evaluation of the Sentencing Guidelines

To develop and maintain a monitoring system that comprehensively evaluates the sentencing guidelines. The Commission receives presentence investigation (PSI) reports, probation revocations and journal entries for all persons sentenced for felony crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993. See K.S.A. 74-9101(b)(5). Sentencing information extracted from the PSIs and journal entries is maintained in two databases -- one for prison dispositions and one for non-prison dispositions -- from which the Commission staff can then monitor, evaluate, and analyze sentences imposed pursuant to the sentencing guidelines. The Commission staff also provides sentencing information to individual counties, judicial districts, and the federal government, upon request. In response to complaints and concerns from users of the sentencing guidelines journal entry forms, the Sentencing Commission revised the forms in FY 1996 to a more simplified format which is more user-friendly and facilitates more valid and reliable information pertaining to guidelines sentences imposed.

Objectives of Goal

• Process journal entries, probation revocations, and PSI reports on an ongoing basis in an efficient manner with sufficient data entry support to eliminate the potential for backlog.
• Determine the number of guidelines sentences imposed, the characteristics of offenders and the offenses committed, the number and types of departure sentences, and the overall conformity of sentences to the sentencing guidelines.
• Analyze the overall distribution of guidelines sentences by race, ethnic origin, gender, age, education level and geographic location to determine whether the sentencing guidelines have reduced or eliminated the biases which were found to be inherent in the pre-guidelines sentencing system.
• Maintain a sentencing dashboard on the agency's website to allow users to interact with public-facing data collected by the KSSC.

To Forecast the State’s Adult and Juvenile Offender Populations Incarcerated in State Institutions, and to Determine the Impact of Proposed Legislation on the Prison Population

To forecast the state's adult offender populations incarcerated in state institutions, and to determine the impact of proposed legislation on the prison population. In FY 1996, the legislation allocated resources to the Sentencing Commission for to acquire the PROPHET Simulation Model, an interactive software system designed by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD). The PROPHET model permits staff analysts to construct a model that mimics the flow of offenders through the prison and parole populations based on the state of Kansas' sentencing structure and policy environment. With the PROPHET model, population and movement through the prison system can be forecasted annually, for as long as ten years into the future. The model also allows staff analysts to determine the impact of proposed legislation on the prison population, thus facilitating the Commission's duty to prepare and submit fiscal impact and correctional resource statements as required. See K.S.A. 74-9101(b)(8).

As of FY 1996, the Sentencing Commission is the provider of the official offender population projections for Kansas. The first official ten-year baseline projections of the adult prison population, using the PROPHET model, were released in November, 1995.

Objectives of Goal

• Delivery of the official prison population projections to the Department of Corrections and Legislative Committees on or before August 18, 1997.
• Preparation of prison bed space impacts of proposed legislation upon request by the Kansas Legislature and the Division of the Budget.

To Assist in the Process of Educating and Training

To assist in educating and training judges, attorneys, court services officers, state parole officers, correctional officers, law enforcement officials and other criminal justice groups in the understanding and application of sentencing guidelines. Since 1993, the Sentencing Commission staff has initiated and conducted training seminars on sentencing guidelines across the state in accordance with its duties under K.S.A. 74-9101(b)(4), and the Commission -- members as well as staff -- frequently participate in seminars and training conferences at the request of various criminal justice groups and associations, or sponsored by universities, including continuing legal education training. In addition, the Commission publishes the Sentencing Guidelines Desk Reference Manual. An updated edition of the Manual is issued annually by the Commission following the Kansas legislative session, as a resource for judges, attorneys, court services officers, clerks of court, corrections and parole officers, law enforcement, and other criminal justice groups or interested individuals throughout the state.

Objectives of Goal

• To publish an updated version of the Sentencing Guidelines Desk Reference Manual (DRM) by September 1 each year.
• To keep judges, attorneys, criminal justice officials, and entities updated on sentencing guidelines through education and training seminars, and updates on appellate court interpretation of the Kansas sentencing guidelines.

To Serve as an Information Resource for the Legislature and Various State Criminal Justice Agencies

The Commission has conducted various research projects and has published various reports. Publications include: "Task Force on Field Services Consolidation", "Study of Intermediate Sanctions", "Task Force on Transition of Offenders into the Community", and "A Pre- and Post-Implementation Assessment of Kansas’ HB 2170 Statute". In addition, the Commission provides ongoing legal consultation with respect to issues involving sentencing guidelines upon request from judges, attorneys, and court services officers. The Commission also responds to frequent legislative requests for data or information relevant to sentencing and other criminal justice issues.