Opinion ID: 3152697
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appraisal of Correctional Staff

Text: Cunningham testified that correctional staff's assessment and appraisal of an inmate is a relevant factor in predicting his or her propensity for violence in prison. Cunningham found that staff's appraisals of Robinson were favorable. Robinson began his term at KDOC in maximum security, but he was reduced to medium security within several months. Robinson began his pretrial confinement at the Johnson County 339 Detention Center in a medium security setting but was later transferred to maximum security when the State charged him with capital murder. Even so, officials at the Johnson County jail allowed Robinson's granddaughter to have contact visits with him, which suggested to Cunningham that their compassion for the young girl outweighed any concern they had about Robinson's propensity for violence. Cunningham interviewed two staff members at KDOC who had supervised Robinson, and both confirmed he was an exceptional worker. One of the staff members noted that Robinson was particularly skilled in the field of computer technology and that prison officials had Robinson troubleshoot computer problems and develop software programs used by the prison. However, both of these correctional officials told Cunningham that Robinson fraudulently altered documents containing their signatures and used them to bolster his position before the parole board.