A review of state Department of Corrections records found that within the past three years 19 Kansas inmates serving life sentences for first-degree murder have been released on parole.
The prisoners were among 221 applicants who were convicted for the same crime. The 19 parolees have served an average of almost 24 years behind bars.
Corinne Radke, of the Wichita Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, says 19 inmates is "too many." Radke would rather the inmates remain in prison for life.
Wichita attorney Richard Ney says according to state law first-degree murder has the possibility of parole after a long sentence. He says first-degree murder and homicide have some of the lowest recidivism rates of any crime.