News & Commentary

“Refusing consent to search is not a basis for a drug dog search,” she said. “It’s not a reason a cop can call for a drug dog.”

The ACLU of Kansas praised the state for taking steps to support the incarcerated who are elderly and infirm. But the organization emphasized that Kansas already has procedures in place, called “compassionate clemency,” to release inmates who would be housed in the proposed beds.

“This practice is unconstitutional on many levels.”

“Some reaction obviously is appropriate if there’s a disruption of session,” said Lauren Bonds, legal director for ACLU of Kansas. “We’re not saying that it’s not appropriate for highway patrol or security or Tom Day to intervene.”

A proposed bill from the American Civil Liberties Union would reform the state’s handling of probation violations. The organization said at least 40% of inmates entering the state’s prisons were there on technical infractions of their probation.

With a full crowd in attendance for a ACLU criminal justice reform event, you could hear story, after story, on why state lawmakers should end mass incarcerations, especially for those striving for a second chance.

The Interstate Crosscheck program was the subject a class-action lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas on behalf of 945 voters whose partial Social Security numbers were exposed by Florida officials through an open records request.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas said in a news release that it has agreed to drop a civil lawsuit brought on behalf of Bo Dana Rupert in exchange for an amended Montgomery County plea agreement in a related criminal case against him.

“Kansas can be a model for criminal justice reform, both in terms of reducing mass incarceration and more broadly,” ACLU of Kansas director Nadine Johnson said in response to Zmuda’s comments. She added the organization looked forward to working with others “to see this come to fruition.”