August 18, 2020
Sheriff Bryan Murphy
1 N. Washington
Iola, KS 66749
RE: Exclusion of Female Residents from Inmate Worker Program Opportunities
Dear Sheriff Bryan J. Murphy,
We are writing to express our concerns about reports we have received that Allen County Jail has disparately excluded female residents from accessing opportunities with the inmate worker program based on their gender.
We have received reports that your facility provides inmates access to jobs but denies female residents who wish to work in these positions in this program. Excluding women from such a program raises constitutional concerns of disparate treatment on the basis of sex and is counterproductive to providing equitable access to the benefits of working opportunities.
We request, pursuant to the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), K.S.A. §45-215, et seq., that your department produce the following documents and information:
•Any policies, guidelines, or procedures related to inmate jobs or inmateworker programs at the Allen County Jail;
•All applications or records of requests by inmates to participate in inmatejobs or worker programs at the Allen County Jail;
•All records showing which inmates have been allowed to participate ininmate jobs or worker programs at the Allen County Jail;
•All records showing which inmates have applied or requested participationin inmate jobs or worker programs and have been denied at the AllenCounty Jail.
In accordance with KORA, we look forward to receiving a response to this request within three (3) business days. If the request is denied, please provide a written statement for the basis of the denial within three (3) business days of this request, citing the specific provision of law under which access is denied.
Sincerely,
Lauren Bonds Legal Director, ACLU of Kansas
CC: Robert Johnson II, County Counselor
1 N. Washington
Iola, KS 66749