criminal justice reform

The work of the Midwest Innocence Project has resulted in 18 people freed or exonerated from prison, including several in Missouri and Kansas. But the nonprofit that provides pro bono legal work is in jeopardy due to a loss in federal grants and other financial strains.

Jackson County is voting for its new county executive this year. All the candidates put property taxes as their top priority. But go beyond that, and the differences creep in.

For more than 35 years, Cliff Middleton has been fighting to free his father from a Missouri prison for a crime they say he didn’t commit. In 1991, Ken Middleton was convicted of murdering his wife in their Blue Springs home, but the Georgetown University Law Center program “Making an Exoneree” reinvestigated and noted glaring discrepancies with his case.

More than 900 people who believe they were wrongfully convicted are on a waitlist for the Midwest Innocence Project, which provides pro bono legal representation in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Arkansas. The organization is celebrating 25 years of service in 2026.

While a pregnant woman can file for divorce in Missouri, under current law a judge can prevent it from being finalized. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed legislation removing those barriers, as well as a wide-reaching criminal justice bill.

Missouri already has an expungement system that allows people convicted of certain nonviolent misdemeanors and felonies to petition the court to seal their records. The "Clean Slate Act" would make that process automatic, potentially helping thousands of Missourians find housing and a job.

Lawmakers are leaving Jefferson City for a week having sent a total of four bills to Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk, one more than last year at this point.

The legislation makes it easier for juveniles to be tried as adults and sets strict requirements for how long inmates must be imprisoned before they're eligible for parole.

Missouri is one of two states where, if a jury is deadlocked on whether to sentence someone to death, the judge can issue the death penalty. The bill also establishes an automatic record-clearing process for most nonviolent offenses.

Kansas City’s Wellness Court is partnering with a local yoga studio to offer a program called “Healing Justice.” It combines yoga, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce stress and recidivism among nonviolent offenders.

The legal group says low-income people are disproportionately affected by the cost of bail and calls for using no-cash bail for nonviolent crimes. But President Donald Trump argues it's leading to a rise in crime.

As the heat index hit 105 degrees, lawyers requested swift cooling measures in a Missouri prison with no A/C. One man shares the dangerous conditions inside while people await a judge’s ruling.