News & Commentary

(CNN)Leavenworth Detention Center seems like a prime example of why President Joe Biden wants to close private prisons: So far this year, the federally contracted jail has been the site of multiple stabbings and a fatal beating. Former guards say drugs and weapons are common behind bars -- and for months, many cell doors didn't even lock. A judge called it "an absolute hellhole" at a recent sentencing hearing. 

LEAVENWORTH — Dangerous understaffing, pervasive drugs and a stockpile of weapons have transformed a private detention center in Kansas into a “hell hole” where violence is routine and inmates are still on lockdown after one was beaten to death this summer.

Kansas is the latest state to explore alterations to its mail policies in state prisons, pointing to the rise of drug use within facilities as justification for a move that has alarmed advocates.

A CoreCivic Leavenworth detainee kicked, punched and struck Scott Wilson, another detainee, with a tray last month. Wilson died two days later.

The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum and a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission.

A federal judge approved a deal Wednesday that would see the state pay out roughly $1.9 million in legal fees to a group of attorneys, including the American Civil Liberties Union, stemming from a prolonged court fight over a controversial voting law favored by former Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Now that Texas has banned abortions in most cases after six weeks of pregnancy, many people are wondering if other states will soon do the same. 

People locked up in the Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas have been reaching out for help nearly every day.

People locked up in the Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas have been reaching out for help nearly every day.