The Kansas Department of Corrections says it has notified Labette County officials of its plans to stop operating the men’s boot camp in the county.
Budget cuts prompted the move, which takes effect July 1.“This is one of the ways that we can reduce our budget,” said Bill Miskell, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Corrections. “We’re looking — for fiscal year 2010 — at reducing our budget in excess of $13 million.”Closing the Labette Correctional Conservation Camp at Oswego is expected to reduce the corrections department’s budget request for fiscal year 2010 by $2.35 million.In November, the corrections department announced its plans to end the contract for the women’s camp, also in Labette County. That contract ended Thursday and the last of the female inmates were moved out days before.The camps focused on rehabilitating nonviolent felony offenders — putting them through a rigid regimen of work and study. The women’s camp was located about a half mile from the men’s.“There’s the idea that there are some offenders who would best be served by something more than community-based intensive supervision and not need to go to prison,” Miskell said, describing the type of inmates served by the camps.It’s not clear how much closing the camps will affect alternative sentencing programs in the state.TOPEKA —
