§ 22-2104 Prosecutions in the name of state.

When someone is charged with a crime in Kansas, the case is officially brought by the state, not by a person or a police department. This is why criminal cases are labeled "State of Kansas v." followed by the defendant's name.

This matters because it shows that crimes are treated as offenses against the public as a whole, not just against the specific victim. Even if a crime hurt one person directly, the government is the one prosecuting the case and deciding how to handle it. The victim can be an important witness and their input matters, but they are not the one filing charges or controlling the legal case.