Kelly Budget Excludes Funding for Hutchinson Prison Rebuild
Despite warnings of potential lawsuit, governor's proposal omits $453 million for deteriorating facility
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly's latest budget proposal excludes funding to rebuild the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, despite repeated warnings from state corrections officials that the crumbling 135-year-old prison could expose Kansas to federal litigation. The Kansas Department of Corrections had requested $453 million to replace the facility, which houses approximately 1,800 male inmates in structures built between 1889 and 1912, making it the oldest prison operated by the state.
The facility has faced mounting scrutiny over unsafe conditions, including cells as small as 40 square feet — well below the American Correctional Association's 70-square-foot standard — and lack of air conditioning in most areas, where summer temperatures can reach 90 degrees. Media reports documented at least seven inmate deaths at the facility since 2024, including three in 2024 and four in 2025, though the Kansas Department of Corrections has not released comprehensive mortality statistics. All deaths remain under investigation by KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda told legislators in November 2024 that the facility's deteriorating condition could trigger a lawsuit, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas has called the lack of climate control "inhumane and unacceptable." The proposed $453 million rebuild would add more than 400 cells and 20,000 square feet of educational space, bringing total capacity to 2,192 beds. The alternative — renovating existing structures — would cost more than $80 million without addressing fundamental design flaws.
Kelly's office has described the prison project as a priority, but the governor's budget contains no funding for construction. The facility, which began as the Kansas State Industrial Reformatory in 1895 and was renamed in 1990, employs more than 590 full-time and contract staff with an annual operating budget of $47.3 million.
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