Parole of Kansas penal inmates began in 1864 as a function of the Governor's authority. In 1885 the state legislature created a three-person Board of Pardons to review commutation or pardon applications and report their recommendations to the Governor. In 1901, the Legislature empowered the Governor to set certain inmates free under proscribed conditions (e.g., adequate time served, no danger to the community, and able to find employment upon release). In 1903, the Legislature created a Prison Board, comprised of the Board of Directors and the Warden of the State Penitentiary, that could parole inmates who had served their minimum sentences and had secured residence and employment. Conditions were attached to those releases and revocation was available when conditions were violated. In 1957, that Prison Board was abolished and the Board of Probation and Parole was created. The authority to grant or deny parole, and the powers attendant therewith, were vested exclusively in this Board while the Governor retained control over pardons and commutations. After a century of development and growth, the parole system finally emerged. It was allowed to separate from the Governor's authority and was acknowledged as an independent entity. In 1974, the Board of Probation and Parole was abolished and replaced by the five member Kansas Adult Authority. With the removal of parole and probation supervision from its jurisdictions, the Board focused on parole decisions, policies, and procedures; revocation of parole violators; discharge of parolees from supervision; and review of pardon and clemency applications. In 1984 the name was changed from the Kansas Adult Authority to the Kansas Parole Board, effective January 1, 1986. The Kansas Parole Board plays a very significant role in the two sentencing systems that presently govern those confined by the Kansas Department of Corrections. Under the indeterminate release structure, the Parole Board determines when an incarcerated inmate will be released. Furthermore, the Board establishes supervision conditions of parole and conditional release; discharges successful parole and conditional releasees from supervision per the recommendation of the Parole Officer; and revokes the release of those who have violated the conditions of their supervision. On July 1, 1993, the legislature enacted the sentencing guidelines system. In this process, the Parole Board was given the added responsibility of establishing conditions of supervision for inmates released on post release supervision. The Board is also responsible for revoking those individuals who have violated their conditions of release. Under both systems, the Parole Board has the responsibility to review Executive Clemency applications and make recommendations to the Governor regarding the clemency. [Department of Corrections, "Historical Overview of Kansas Parole," http://www.dc.state.ks.us/kpb/overview and "About the Kansas Parole Board," http://www.dc.state.ks.us/kpb (both accessed November 7, 2008.)] [Wilder, Bessie. Governmental Agencies of the State of Kansas, 1861-1946. Lawrence: Bureau of Government Research, University of Kansas, 1946.]
From the description of Records of the Kansas Parole Board, 1942-1997. (Kansas State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 692455824
