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Kansas inmates' families worry about losing contact after move to Arizona

Prison bars
Posted at 12:00 PM, Aug 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-19 13:00:24-04

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The families of several hundred Kansas inmates who are being sent to a private prison in Arizona worry about how often they'll be able to see their loved ones after the move.

Leoti Masterson says she treasures her weekly visits with her son even though she has to drive about two hours each way every time. Masterson says it's hard to imagine being able to visit the CoreCivic prison in Arizona as often.

Masterson says she wants to be part of her son's rehabilitation as he serves his sentence for sexual exploitation of a child.

Kansas prison officials haven't yet said which inmates will be transferred, but 360 are expected to move over the next four months. The move is designed to help relieve overcrowding in Kansas' prisons.