prison

Nearly 20,000 people are released from Missouri prisons each year. Going home is an adjustment — and a relief. Hear from one man who returned home after 37 years. Plus: Get caught up on news from around the metro.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, approximately 19,000 people are released from prison every year. For Paige Spears, it took 37 years to walk free.

The lawsuit filed by the MacArthur Justice Center says that in the summer, the lack of air conditioning or heat solutions at Missouri's Algoa Correctional Center violate the constitutional rights of people detained there.

The bill has been introduced for five straight years in the Missouri legislature, but failed to make it to committee hearings until now. It's named after Larry Miller, who was stabbed to death in custody while correctional officers were not around.

Father Emil Kapaun served as an Army chaplain in the Korean war, and was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor. In February, Pope Francis named him "venerable," bringing him one step closer to canonization as a saint. But interest in his life — and traffic to his hometown of Pilsen, Kansas — is already picking up.

Sandra Hemme was freed from prison after 43 years for a murder she didn't commit, and her case illustrates how difficult it is to correct errors in the criminal justice system. That's especially true in Missouri, where the attorney general's office aggressively opposes innocence claims regardless of the evidence.

Sandra Hemme spent 43 years in a Missouri prison for a murder she did not commit. But her case should help others wrongfully convicted win their freedom, because the judges directly addressed the issue of false confessions.

In recent years, exonerees Darryl Burton and Lamonte McIntyre have worked to help other people who have been wrongfully convicted through their nonprofit, Miracle of Innocence. They joined Up To Date to discuss the latest on the organization, Burton's new book and the death of disgraced Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski.

Missouri has little support available for exonerees after they're freed, despite the difficulties of obtaining housing, health care or a job. Senate Bill 36 would allow exonerated defendants to claim damages of $179 per day of wrongful imprisonment with a yearly cap of $65,000.

A bipartisan group of Missouri lawmakers wants more oversight over the prison system — as deaths in custody reach their highest level in state history, and watchdogs warn of drugs behind bars.

The Missouri Department of Corrections is giving few details, but advocates say the removal of the South Central Correctional Center warden occurred after an investigation into how contraband is entering the prison.

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.