photo by: Associated Press

This Feb. 2, 2017, file photo, shows the Kansas Department of Corrections logo on the exterior of the Lansing Correctional Center in Lansing. (Mark Rountree/The Leavenworth Times via AP, File)

TOPEKA — The acting secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections said a mass commutation of offenders was worth considering during his confirmation hearing.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Jeff Zmuda was asked to comment Tuesday on what happened one day earlier, when more than 450 inmates walked out of the doors of prisons across Oklahoma as part of a massive commutation. Zmuda said Kansas officials are looking at several ways to make reforms and ease overcrowding and “that’s certainly one that could be considered.”

Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said releasing non-violent inmates “sounds like a fantastic idea,” but cautioned that if someone who has been released early commits a violent act “there’s hell to pay.”

The hearing ended with a Senate committee recommending that Zmuda be confirmed. The full Senate will vote early next year.