Facing Budget Shortfall, Kansas Rep. Owens Says Criminal Justice Changes Could Be Solution

Like many states, Kansas is facing fiscal challenges as a result of the pandemic, including a $1.4 billion budget shortfall that will affect state agencies across the board during the next fiscal year. Through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, Kansas Rep. Stephen Owens is helping lead work with other criminal justice stakeholders to improve outcomes for people in Kansas’s criminal justice system, disrupt the cycle of recidivism, and find savings to offset recent fiscal losses.