Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services’ Capital Appeals Office

The Capital Appeals Office of the Kansas State Board of Indigents' Defense Services is located in Topeka, Kansas. The Capital Appeals office administers the appointment of Capital Defenders in appellate death penalty matters in the state of Kansas. The Capital Defender represents indigent people convicted of a capital crime and when the appeal period has started. In order to protect a convicted defendant's right to appeal, the capital defender files a motion for release on an appeal bond, files a notice of appeal in a timely manner, obtains a court order for the trial transcript, and a transcript of any pretrial or posttrial proceedings from which a claim of error may arise, obtain an order from the district court appointing the state appellate defender as counsel for the appeal and file the order of appointment with the clerk of the district court, submits a draft of the docketing statement and all documents necessary to docket the appeal required by supreme court rule and presents a listing of all hearings in which a record was taken to the appellate defender. For more information on services offered by an Appellate Capital Defender and how to obtain them, please contact the office of Capital Appeals.