Brief(1)
S.B. 519 amends the provisions of K.S.A. 21-4603d and 75-5222 pertaining to offenders who escape from custody to increase the amount of a reward that could be offered by the Secretary of Corrections for the apprehension of an escapee from $500 to $5,000 and to permit a district court to order an offender convicted of escape or aggravated escape to repay the costs and expenses incurred by a law enforcement agency in the apprehension of the offender.
The fiscal note said the bill would have a financial impact but the amount cannot be quantified.
Background
The bill was supported by the Secretary of Corrections. The Secretary said that his authority to offer a reward is rarely used, and is considered only if the escapee presents serious public safety concerns and the investigation conducted by the Department and other law enforcement agencies has proven unsuccessful. In recent years, the Secretary has only offered a reward on two occasions and it was necessary to pay the reward only on one occasion. The $500 limit provided by current law was established in 1973 and is not sufficient to encourage persons to come forward with information if they perceive there might be some personal risk in doing so.
The Department also stated that offenders who escape from custody should be fiscally responsible for the costs incurred in their apprehension.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.