Blaise Mesa
Social Services and Criminal Justice ReporterAs a criminal justice and social service reporter, it's my job to ensure the systems designed to help people are working as intended. Thousands of Kansans deal with the criminal justice or foster care systems each day. I strive to hold all agencies and departments accountable for the work they are doing. Reach me at blaise@kcur.org.
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Gabrielle Griffie was charged with disorderly conduct in Wichita after a 2020 protest. Her lawyers say that violates her First Amendment rights. -
Police can take money, cars and other property from Kansans through a process called civil asset forfeiture. Police say it’s a tool that stops criminals. But opponents say law enforcement takes too much.
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Kansas was one of the first states in the country to access federal Family First prevention money. Programs it is funding have spent years growing.
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Child care is expensive for families, yet it doesn't bring in enough money for providers to grow or pay workers high wages. Kansas is at a crossroads.
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Audits of the Kansas foster care system raise concerns about mental health access, unreliable data and foster kids moving between homes too often.
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People in jail or prison can't keep up with technology. A program for inmates in Kansas and Missouri will help them learn job skills.
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One former Lawrence Police Officer was charged with a crime after pinning his wife to the couch during an argument. He lost his job, but then found work at a jail.
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The ruling found the Kansas Highway Patrol use of maneuver to detain out-of-state drivers for drug searches is unlawful.
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Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sued Gov. Laura Kelly over dueling interpretations of a law restricting transgender Kansans’ ability to change their gender on state IDs.
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People undergoing domestic abuse are more likely to lose their jobs. Fort Hays State University is trying to teach businesses how to change that.
