Apparently, a great many ex-convicts in Wichita are not making the most of their second chances as police say criminal ventures by parolees are a big part of the rising tide of crime.
Deputy Chief Jose Salcido said it’s a product of “correctional dumping.”
Almost 63% of all of the parolees in Kansas are released into Wichita, leading to a discussion that city just bear the brunt of playing host to a slew of not-quite-rehabilitated offenders.
“It’s really hard to look at a victim in the face, for me, to say, ‘ah’ I’m sorry, but this person, we didn’t know who he was. They were sent here.”
To make matters worse, Salcido said almost half of the parolees are from neither Wichita nor Sedgwick County.
“What’s frustrating is they find that Wichita is ideal because we have all these resources.”
Wichita’s current parolee population totals just below 1,200. For comparison, Kansas City currently hosts 91. Topeka hosts 33.
Salcido said even the resources they used to have got cut back.
“At one point, the state had enough money to have a re-entry officer partner with us, now the re-entry plan is drop ’em off, and hey, hopefully, you can make it.”
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