prisons

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.

Kansas has a lack of housing in both rural and urban areas. The bill would focus on areas with “minimal building activity.”

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.

Deaths in Missouri prisons have increased in number despite a drop in the number of people incarcerated. The Missouri Department of Corrections says says in-custody fatalities are mainly due to natural causes among an aging, sicker prison population.

A crumbling correctional facility in Hutchinson lacks air conditioning and has small cells. State prison officials say Kansas could be sued in federal court if it doesn’t build a new facility.

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.

The Missouri Department of Corrections had a $14 million budget allocation to install air conditioning at one of its intake facilities. It will take years for the project to be completed.

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.