A bill that would release some prisoners who are parents has received first-round approval in the Kansas Senate.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that action was taken Monday. The bill would allow the Kansas secretary of corrections to transfer low and moderate-risk inmates from prisons to house arrest as part of a community parenting release if they satisfy several requirements.
The inmates must have custody of a child, have no convictions for sex offenses or dangerous felonies, must not be eligible for deportation and must have less than a year remaining on his or her prison sentence.
Supporters include the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeff King says the effort has been successful in Washington state.
