NCJ Number
75045
Date Published
1980
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The activities of Legal Services for Prisoners, Inc., a Kansas organization assisting incarcerated offenders with a wide range of legal problems, are described.
Abstract
Legal Services for Prisoners is affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Law and has received funding from both Federal and State resources. The program is staffed with a mix of full-time and part-time professionals and with law students who receive salary and academic credit. The staff evolved into groups of staff attorneys and litigation attorneys. The staff attorneys handle the majority of the problems for which inmates seek help, most of which can be settled informally or referred for solution to officers or personnel within the correctional system. Litigation attorneys handle the adversarial proceedings which develop, allowing the staff attorneys to maintain cooperative relationships with corrections officials. Inmates seeking assistance are advised of their probability of success in court and on whether they should pursue appeals or suits. The majority of the inmates advised have followed the recommendations. Prisoners' rights suits in Kansas have declined since Legal Services for Prisoners was founded. Prisoners have generally given the service high marks. The Kansas judiciary has also received it favorably. Two case citations and two references are listed.