Parolees face restrictions during the Big 12 Tournament

Unemployed parolees at a Kansas City corrections center again must postpone their job hunts during the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament.

Residents of the Kansas City Community Release Center at 651 Mulberry St. will be confined to the 410-bed facility from Wednesday through Saturday, according to a memo circulated to the staff earlier this month.

The only exceptions will be for residents with jobs who are scheduled to work during the tournament, said David Owen, communications director for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

“This public safety policy has been enforced every year that the tournament has been held in Kansas City,” Owen said in a written statement.

The restriction has drawn criticism from at least one resident, who said he will be unable to pursue job and housing prospects. The resident, who asked that his name not be used because he feared repercussions from the center’s staff, said he will lose time researching legal issues for a lawsuit.

“This is a civil rights matter,” he said. “It interferes with my right to seek remedies and I really don’t appreciate that. There doesn’t seem to be any rational basis for this restriction.”

Future residents of the center are likely to face far more restrictions, however.

Last month, Missouri corrections director George A. Lombardi notified lawmakers that the center soon will transition from a facility serving those on probation and parole to a minimum security prison.

In a Feb. 24 letter, Lombardi said the transition should begin in the next few months and could be complete by September.

“This conversion will make the KCCRC a more secure environment, have a positive effect on the local community surrounding the facility and enhance re-entry services for offenders, resulting in a positive and lasting effect on public safety,” Lombardi wrote.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Parolees face restrictions during the Big 12 Tournament."