Case Study: Kansas Department of Corrections cuts release payment processing time by 75% with Tyler Technologies' Release Pay

Release Pay Proves More Reliable Than Paper Checks and Other Disbursement Methods

The Kansas Department of Corrections, which manages inmate funds for roughly 8,500 offenders across nine facilities, faced unreliable and time-consuming exit disbursements. Paper checks were impractical for many residents without bank accounts and posed safety risks if cashed as cash, while the former debit-card vendor charged $3 per card and frequently failed to activate cards or make funds available, creating frequent resident complaints and daily staffing burdens.

In 2019 the DOC switched to Tyler Technologies’ Release Pay, gaining reliable card activation, responsive customer service, and the ability to freeze lost or stolen cards — all without a per-card fee. The change cut daily release-payment processing from about two hours to roughly 30 minutes (a 75% reduction), dramatically reduced follow-up calls from former residents, and made post-release finances safer and easier to access.

Kansas Dept. of Corrections

Melissa Brooke

Manager, Centralized Inmate Banking Unit