criminal justice

The "Second Look Act" in the 2024 Kansas legislative session would resentence eligible inmates after a certain amount of time in prison. It doesn’t guarantee their release, just another look at the length of their sentence.

Kansas created an evidence-based fund to help minors avoid the criminal justice system. With some community groups struggling to access the money, lawmakers are looking to make more changes.

A literacy program has helped mothers and grandmothers in prison improve their reading abilities while also giving them the chance to bond with their loved ones.

A criminal complaint alleges that guards at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri pepper-sprayed Othel Moore Jr., placed a mask over his face and left him in a position that caused him to suffocate. Four former staffers face murder charges in Moore's death.

Marcellus Williams had always maintained that he had nothing to do with the stabbing death of a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. State and federal courts rejected numerous last-minute requests to halt the execution and review the case.

For nearly 25 years, Marcellus Williams has maintained his innocence in the murder of a St. Louis woman named Felicia Gayle. A plea deal that would have saved him from execution in less than a month and changed his sentence to life in prison was recently pulled by a judge.

The Missouri law known as the "Second Amendment Preservation Act" forbade police from enforcing federal gun laws that don’t have an equivalent state law, and threatened officers with fines. A federal court ruled it violated the supremacy clause.

Critics argue adding additional fees and interest on unpaid traffic fines is unfair to low-income drivers. And it may not even be legal under Kansas law.

Prison can be a lonely, violent place. But one program — or more specifically, one Jefferson City, Missouri, prison resident — is helping change the men around him.

Law students at UMKC's Expungement Clinic helped nearly 60 people clear their criminal records, giving them better opportunities for jobs and housing. But the clinic's funding has run out. Plus: Foster group homes are meant for youth with significant behavioral and mental health issues, but Missouri doesn't have enough beds for girls.

Law students at UMKC's Expungement Clinic helped nearly 60 people clear their criminal records, giving them better opportunities for jobs and housing. But the clinic's funding ran out in January, leaving some formerly incarcerated people without hope.

Alvin Brooks’ life has become the stuff of legend around Kansas City. Now, a new film by Academy Award-winner Kevin Wilmott details it for the big screen.