Please use a separate form for each offender if there are multiple offenders in your case. If you have any questions please contact Victim Services Toll Free: 1-866-404-6732 or by email VictimWitness@doc.ks.gov If you prefer to register by mail you may download and fill out this form.
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Victim Witness Registration
by David Thompson — last modified May 27, 2024 (02:56 AM)
David Thompson
Feb 15, 2024 (07:22 AM)
Notification Registration
In order to receive notification, you will need to register with the Department of Corrections. The offender has to be in a KDOC facility or supervised by KDOC for the victim to receive notification. If the offender is in the county jail, on probation, or on community corrections and is not under KDOC supervision, then victim notification is not available.
Victim / Witness Notification and Victim Services
The Office of Victim Services is victim-focused and safety-focused. We began with the basic service of victim notification and have expanded to provide a network of services that attempt to lessen the impact on crime victims as much as possible. Crime victims do not have control over the victimization that another person has chosen to perpetrate and victims/survivors deserve to be heard. Giving victims/survivors a voice in the system and increasing their safety is our focus.
As advocates for victims and for the success of offenders, we continue to support the risk-reduction focused system that the Department of Corrections has created. When considering the safety of crime victims and the public in general, simply containing and then releasing offenders without addressing the roots of the criminal behavior is not the safest option. Risk reduction seeks to reduce the likelihood of negative behavior regardless of the environment. Victim safety is a central and primary factor to the work of reducing offender risk and victim’s voices in the process are imperative. We strive to bring balance to the system.
If there is a topic or service that you would like to know more about, please let us know.
Office of Victim Services, KDOC
The Kansas Department of Corrections will provide notification to victims of the following changes regarding a resident’s status. Please notify our office either in writing or by telephone each time your name or address changes. We will not be able to provide notification if we do not have your current contact information :
PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION
The Kansas Prisoner Review Board holds a parole hearing with a resident one month prior to the resident’s parole eligibility date. Initial parole eligibility dates are based upon a resident’s sentence length. Subsequent parole eligibility dates are determined by the Board. The Board holds a public comment session one month prior to a resident’s parole hearing. Public comment sessions provide victims and other interested parties with the opportunity to present their views regarding the possibility of a resident’s parole. The dates, times and locations of the public comment sessions will be provided to victims by the Kansas Department of Corrections.
RELEASE ON PAROLE STATUS
discretionary release of a resident granted by the Kansas Prisoner Review Board after the resident has served at least the minimum sentence required by law. The offender may be returned to incarceration for violating conditions of release.
RELEASE ON CONDITIONAL RELEASE STATUS
mandatory supervised release established by law that usually occurs when the resident has served one half of the maximum sentence. The offender can be returned to incarceration for violating conditions of release.
RELEASE ON POST-RELEASE STATUS
mandatory supervised release of a resident who has served the incarceration portion of the sentence under provisions of the Sentencing Guidelines Act or whose sentence was converted to a guidelines sentence. The offender can be returned to incarceration for violating conditions of release.
EXPIRATION OF SENTENCE
release occurring when a resident has served to the maximum sentence date
DEATH
notification of the death of a resident.
ESCAPE
an unauthorized absence by a resident from the correctional facility to which the resident is assigned. Notice of an escape will be provided to victims as soon as possible.
ASSIGNMENT TO A WORK RELEASE PROGRAM
a resident classified as minimum custody may be assigned to a work release program. The resident is employed in the community but must return to the facility during non-working hours.
ELIGIBILITY FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK ASSIGNMENT
a resident classified as minimum custody may be assigned to supervised work crews outside the security perimeter of the facility.
APPLICATION FOR CLEMENCY
request from a resident for sentence modification requiring approval of the Governor.
You will need to provide your name and address to the Kansas Department of Corrections and the District/County Attorney’s Office, and update that information when your name or address changes.
For additional information, you may view our brochure,also available (En Espanol).
Whether an offender is incarcerated or on community supervision, the Office of Victim Services has liaisons to assist you with questions or concerns.
Our liaisons can assist with needs concerning:
- Unwanted contact
- Preparing for an inmate's release from prison
- Wrap-around safety planning
- Assistance if you are the victim of an offender who is on community supervision
- Referrals to Community Advocacy Centers
- General questions about the criminal justice system
Office of Victim Services staff provide services throughout the state and are located in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, Lansing Correctional Facility, Hutchinson Correctional Facility, the Topeka Parole Office and the Wichita Parole Office. To be connected with the liaison best suited to help you with your current needs, please call our toll-free line (866) 404-6732 or e-mail.
The Kansas Crime Victims Compensation Board provides victims with financial assistance for loss of earnings and out-of-pocket loss for injuries sustained as a direct result of violent crime. This includes reasonable medical care, mental health counseling or other services necessary as a result of the injury or loss. In the event of the death of the victim, reasonable medical expenses and the partial cost of funeral, burial or cremation is reimbursable.
In addition, inmates in Kansas who gain employment during their incarceration are required to pay a portion of their wages towards either restitution or to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund. Offenders who have been released and who are on community supervision have, as a requirement of their community supervision, the obligation to make payments towards any restitution. If you have questions about compensation or restitution, please call our toll-free number (866) 404-6732 or e-mail.
Public Comment Sessions offer victims and survivors an opportunity to speak with the paroling authority prior to an inmate's parole suitability hearing. The Office of Victim Services has advocates at each of the three public comment sessions offered monthly to assist individuals through this process. The dates, times and locations of the public comment sessions will be provided to victims by the Kansas Department of Corrections. If you prefer to submit a written statement, you may do so using this form or online. The Prisoner Review Board can also be contacted via telephone for verbal comment submission at: (785) 296-3469. Our staff can assist during this process with:
- Registration to speak at the Public Comment Session
- Support before/during/after a Public Comment Session
- Coaching on how to provide an effective statement
- Advocacy for requesting special conditions if parole is granted
- Assistance in preparing for a possible release
The Office of Victim Services offers mileage reimbursement for victims/survivors who are traveling 20 or more miles to/from a Public Comment Session from anywhere within the state of Kansas or from any bordering state or airfare in lieu of mileage for longer distances. For more information about our mileage reimbursement program, you may call (785) 296-3333 or click here.
Victim/Offender Dialogue is a program that provides an opportunity for victims or survivors of severe violence to meet with an offender, face-to-face, in a safe and structured setting with the assistance of trained facilitators.
Preparation for a Victim/Offender Dialogue is a slow and carefully planned process. There is no set time frame and it can take anywhere from several months to several years before an actual meeting takes place. Participants are encouraged to have a support person present.
If you are interested in participation in this program, please call our toll-free number at 1-866-4046732.
This program is eligible to registered victims who travel 20 or more total miles to attend a Public Comment Session.
As a victim, you are eligible to apply for mileage reimbursement when you attend a Public Comment Session. To be eligible, you must be registered with the Office of Victim Services (OVS) and have traveled at least 20 miles round trip to attend the session. The grant is designed to increase the ability of crime victims to participate in Public Comment Sessions by providing participants a single reimbursement of expenses up to $500 which will cover the least expensive mode of travel – vehicle, air, or rail – and one night lodging in a KDOC direct bill hotel if you have traveled 450 miles or more. You may apply for reimbursement for any one of the three Public Comment Sessions offered that month. Only mileage distance traveled within Kansas or a bordering state will be covered at the current Kansas Department of Administration Travel Program rate which is $.535 per mile. The grant allows for one applicant per carload to apply so if you traveled as a group and you drove, please consider submitting an application. Airfare or rail travel within the continental US will be covered up to the amount of mileage it is in lieu of.
To apply for funds under this program, please complete the Victim Mileage Reimbursement Request you received in your packet notifying you about the session. You may also request a form at the session and submit the form to the Victim Service liaison present. Reimbursement checks will be mailed approximately one month after the session.
The information on the Reimbursement Request form, as with all victim information, is confidential.
If you have other questions about this program, please call Victim Notification Coordinator Kristin Finlay at (785) 296-3333 or our toll-free number (866) 404-6732.
This grant project is funded or partially funded by the Federal Victims of Crime Act, awarded by the federal Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice as administered by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication, program or exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kansas Governor or the U.S. Department of Justice.
If you are a victim or survivor and are interested in visitation with an inmate, please contact a facility-based liaison to initiate visitation.
Visitation can be different at every prison facility. The types of visitation allowed, days and hours of visitation, the level of security offered during visitation and the type of room in which visitation occurs can vary from prison to prison. If you are a victim who is interested in visitation, please complete the application posted below and contact Victim Services for further assistance on our toll-free line at (866) 404-6732 or e-mail
WWRF Visitation Information not available at this time
Some offenders wish to write an apology letter to their victims(s). In an apology letter, an offender may acknowledge fault, express remorse or acknowledge the injury and pain caused to the victim or others. The letter will not offer excuses or request forgiveness. Letters of apology written by offenders in the custody of the Department of Corrections are sent to the Office of Victim Services where they are stored and provided, upon request, to the victim.
If you would like to inquire about the presence of an apology letter in our repository, please contact us via e-mail or toll-free at (866) 404-6732.
Toll-Free Hotline (866) 404-6732
Kansas Department of Corrections
Office of Victim Services
714 SW Jackson, Suite 300
Topeka, KS 66603
KCSDV is a network of programs reaching across the state, helping us unify on a state level and to end battering and sexual assault wherever it occurs.
Helps to ensure efficient and effective statewide coordination of local crime victim and witness assistance programs and direct assistance to crime victims and their families. Information is also available about Crime Victim’s Compensation, Sexually Violent Predator Law, and other resources for Kansas crime victims.
Established in 1995, KOVA’s mission is to promote fair treatment for victims of crime.
The primary goal of CASA programs is to assist in securing permanency for children who are in the child welfare system because of alleged or confirmed abuse and/or neglect.
Provides support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder.
MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.
Dedicated to educating the public about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and its tragic consequences.
The Kansas Offender Registration, enacted by K.S.A. 22-4901 et seq., contains information only on convicted offenders who committed their offenses on or after April 14, 1994. This site allows you to search for registered offenders.
Know your rights as a crime victim in Kansas as outlined in K.S.A. 74-7333.
Survivors of violence have the opportunity to tour the Kansas correctional facility of their choice.
Facility tours are offered at various times throughout the state for victims or survivors of violent crime. During a tour, you may bring others who can support you and you also will be accompanied by an advocate from the Office of Victim Services and the warden of the prison facility being toured. The tour will include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Cellhouse, individual cell and/or dormitory;
- Recreation area;
- Dining area;
- Education area;
- Private industry or other work area; and,
- Medical facilities.
If you are interested in a tour, please call our toll-free number at 1-866-404-6732 or e-mail.
Background checks are required prior to entering any state prison facility.
The Office of Victim Services provides training to inmates, Kansas Department of Corrections employees, other correctional agencies, and community organizations.
Training and Education
The Office of Victim Services provides training to inmates, Kansas Department of Corrections employees, other correctional agencies, and community organizations.
- Victim Impact Classes
- Victims Rights and Resources
- Domestic Violence
- Safety Planning
- Specialized topics related to the victims role in corrections
For more information on training or educational opportunities, please contact our toll-free number at (866) 404-6732 or e-mail.
Victim Impact : Listen and Learn
Victim Impact: Listen and Learn is a program that provides inmates an opportunity to learn how their behaviors have impacted others. Inmates learn how to define who their victims are, understand the possible impact of nine different crimes and work to comprehend the effects of those crimes on different victims.
Victim Impact: Listen and Learn is a curriculum developed by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and it was designed to allow inmates the opportunity to learn how their behaviors impact the lives of others.
Here is a sample of the topics discussed: robbery, assault, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, DUI and homicide.
Facilitators are required to go through a screening process with the Program Coordinator and then attend a six-hour training session to learn the curriculum.
The facilitator is required to be available for phone conferences with a co-facilitator and Program Coordinator. Facilitating a class requires 2-3 hours each week for preparation and facilitation. The class is two hours in length once a week for 13 weeks.
If you are a victim/survivor and are interested in sharing your story about how crime has impacted your life, you will be asked to go through a screening process with the Program Coordinator. After the screening there will be an overview of the curriculum and your role in the class will be discussed.
The Program Coordinator will also cover the time commitment required and details regarding the prison facility within which you will be speaking.
We are looking for volunteers and speakers at all the KDOC facilities. If you are interested, please contact Holly Chavez at (785) 817-2594.
Survey FY21/Q3
You have received this survey because our records indicate that you were the recipient of services provided by the Kansas Department of Corrections, Office of Victim Services (OVS) staff at some point during 2020. This could include registration for notification letter(s) or phone or in-person contact with a liaison. Other agencies may have provided services to you following the crime or during the trial. However, this survey only focuses on interactions with KDOC Office of Victim Services, which occur after the offender is sentenced to serve time in prison and while they are on parole. This survey is specifically asking about services from the Office of Victim Services, not from other KDOC staff.
When looking only at the time frame from when the offender went to prison and/or was released to parole, please answer the following questions:
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), in partnership with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP), the Kansas Sheriff’s Association (KSA) and the Kansas Peace Officers Association (KPOA) have developed the Cold Case Playing Cards project
PLEASE NOTE: COLD CASE PLAYING CARDS have been distributed to all Correctional Facilities. They are not currently available for the general public to purchase. Those eligible to purchase through Kansas Correctional Industries can do so at https://kansasci.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=10534.
Other states have solved multiple cold case homicides, missing person cases or suspicious deaths through the use of specially created playing cards. Distributed to residents of state correctional facilities and county jails, these cards highlight case information in hope that persons familiar with a case will come forward with a fruitful tip.
As an example, Connecticut has produced multiple decks and has solved 20 cases with their program. For more information about Connecticut’s program, visit their website by clicking here.
For more information about the project in Kansas, please email KDOC_Cold_Case_Cards@ks.gov.
If you have any information regarding a Kansas Cold Case, please call 1-800-KS-CRIME.
Resources and Links:
KDOC Office of Victim Services – Office of Victim Services — (ks.gov)
KBI Victims Assistance – KBI – Kansas Bureau of Investigation – Law Enforcement Victims Assistance Program
AG’s Victim Services Division – Victim Services – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt
Crime Victims Compensation – Victim Compensation – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt
Remembrance Receptions – Crime Victims Remembrance Recptions – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt
KBI Unsolved Cases – KBI – Kansas Bureau of Investigation – Governor’s Reward
Kansas Missing and Unsolved – Kansas Missing & Unsolved – Home | Facebook
CrimeStoppers
Wichita – Crime Stoppers of Wichita – Sedgwick County (wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com)
Media coverage:
Detectives looking for help before cold case grows colder (kwch.com)
FF12 Investigation: Detectives believe murdered restaurant owner knew his killer (kwch.com)
Police have suspect in 2013 cold-case murder (kwch.com)
Playing cards are a new strategy in solving cold cases in Kansas
Podcasts:
8/11/2022
Dealing Justice – Joshua Jernagin
7/15/2022
Dealing Justice – Ernie Ortiz
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-of-hearts-ernie-ortiz-ks-deck/id1504742935?i=1000569975929
6/13/2022
Dealing Justice – Gary Leo Nelson
News stories:
8/28/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Glenna Bullard
https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/29/kansas-cold-cases-glenna-bullard/
8/14/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Anna Marie Baldwin
https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/15/kansas-cold-cases-anna-marie-baldwin/
8/8/2022
Families of Kansas’ cold case victims find new hope for answers from an unexpected source — the state’s prisoners
7/31/2022
https://www.wibw.com/2022/08/01/kansas-cold-cases-margaret-tighe/
7/17/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Nelson Jones
https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/18/kansas-cold-cases-nelson-jones/
7/10/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Carla Avery, Eric Avery, Tamesha Lee, Marvin Woods
https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/11/kansas-cold-case-carla-avery-eric-avery-tamesha-lee-marvin-woods/
7/3/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Tirell Ocobock
https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/04/kansas-cold-cases-tirell-ocobock/
6/13/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: James Winston III
https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/13/kansas-cold-cases-james-winston-iii/
6/6/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Charles Giles
https://www.wibw.com/2022/06/06/kansas-cold-cases-charles-giles/
5/31/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Gary Leo Nelson
https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/30/kansas-cold-cases-gary-leo-nelson/
5/27/2022
Cold case project renews hope for family of Beloit murder victim
Cold case project renews hope for family of Beloit murder victim (kwch.com)
5/24/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Arthur Goebel
https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/23/kansas-cold-cases-arthur-goebel/
5/17/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Clarence “Butch” Lavin
https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/16/kansas-cold-cases-clarence-butch-lavin/
5/9/2022
Kansas Cold Cases: Joshua Jernagin
https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/09/kansas-cold-cases-joshua-jernagin/
5/2/2022
KS Cold Cases: John Waller
https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/02/ks-cold-cases-john-waller/
4/28/2022
Tirell Ocobock and John Waller homicides spotlighted in playing cards being given to Kansas inmates
4/27/2022
Kan. LE issue cold case playing cards to inmates to generate new leads
- Kansas detectives hope playing cards help solve dozens of cold cases
- Department of Corrections, KBI announce new Cold Case playing card set
https://kvoe.com/2022/04/25/department-of-corrections-kbi-announce-new-cold-case-playing-card-set/
- Playing cards give Kansas prison inmates a chance to help solve cold cases. Here’s how
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article260740007.html
4/25/2022
- Effort aims to heat up cold cases with playing cards for prisoners
https://www.wibw.com/2022/04/25/effort-aims-heat-up-cold-cases-with-playing-cards-prisoners/
- Kansas detectives hope a deck of playing cards can help solve dozens of cold cases
- Former police officer, daughter of murder victim finds hope in new effort to solve cold cases
- Shawnee Co. cold case investigators hopeful for prison playing cards program
Once a resident is eligible for visiting privileges, the resident is responsible for ensuring that his visitors receive the necessary paperwork to register as visitors. For more information, please review IMPP 10-113D: Offender Visitation.
Information about visiting during holidays
Inmate visitation at Kansas correctional facilities will be provided on the following four state holidays: Christmas Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving Day. If either Christmas Day or the Fourth of July holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, or other day where a facility has regularly scheduled visitation, the holiday will be incorporated within the regular visitation schedule and an additional visitation day will NOT be scheduled.
Inmate visitation will NOT be provided on the following state holidays, unless the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or other day where the facility has regularly scheduled visitation: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day and the day after Thanksgiving.
