TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Supreme Court plans to hear arguments from attorneys Wednesday over a civil rights group’s attempt to force the state to release prison inmates with preexisting medical conditions making them vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.
The court is reviewing a lawsuit filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas for seven inmates at state prisons in Ellsworth, Lansing and Topeka.
The lawsuit argues that the inmates are housed in crowded conditions with limited access to adequate medical care.
Gov. Laura Kelly has said efforts are underway to identify inmates who are close to finishing their sentences and can be released.
