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Kansas has an incarceration rate of 648 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Kansas and why.

17,000 people from Kansas are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Kansas is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 60,000 different people are booked into local jails in Kansas.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Kansas graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Kansas’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

Kansas's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Kansas's criminal legal system:

Filter to show Most recent All Big picture Collateral consequences Communication Exploitation Health Jails & bail Parole and probation Policing Poverty Prison gerrymandering Racial justice Women, gender, & families

• Kansas's prison system fails to provide necessary accommodations for pregnancy behind bars, despite having a women's incarceration rate that stands out globally.
• Kansas does not make medications for opioid use disorder available in its prisons. Why is getting treatment for substance use disorders so difficult across the US carceral system?
• Despite reducing its prison population at the beginning of the pandemic, Kansas' prison population increased 7% between 2021 and 2023.
• People on probation in Kansas are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Kansas have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
• With an incarceration rate of 648 per 100,000 residents, Kansas locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• Prisons in Kansas force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 68% of people in Kansas jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
• Kansas releases roughly 124,000 men and 41,375 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• In Kansas prisons, breaking even minor rules can come with monetary fines that take weeks of work to pay off
• Black people in Kansas are incarcerated at a rate 6.7 times higher than white people.
• Kansas's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 13% of people in Kansas prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Kansas makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• Kansas is one of 20 states that locks up some people convicted of sex offenses in shadowy "civil commitment" facilities, long after their sentences are over — and often indefinitely
• In Kansas, 17,000 people are incarcerated and another 18,900 are on probation or parole.
• Kansas charges up to 25¢ for an e-message to or from prison.
• Jails in Kansas charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge $2.10 for a 15-minute call.
• Kansas suspended its $2 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic for flu related medical visits — but should eliminate them entirely.
• People in Kansas prisons with a cumulative account balance of more than $12 have to pay for basic hygiene items and writing supplies.
• Kansas prisons charge families a 34% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Kansas a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Kansas hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Kansas communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Kansas prisons don't provide air conditioning
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Kansas gets an F-
• Kansas incarcerates women at a rate of 137 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Kansas prisons earn as little as 9¢ an hour for their work.

Other resources

• Research on Kansas in our Research Library