Oklahomans continue pushing for legislation to lower the state’s prison population and prevent people from entering into the criminal system in the first place. Last year, Oklahoma saw the largest mass commutation in the nation’s history with nearly 500 people being released early from prisons in November. Damion Shade, Oklahoma Policy Institute criminal justice policy […]
criminal justice
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Sentencing reform
Criminal justice reform advocates want to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to prohibit sentence enhancements based on previous felonies for nonviolent offenders. The measure would also allow nonviolent offenders serving enhanced sentences to seek a modification in court. “A former conviction for one or more felonies shall not be used to enhance the statutorily allowable range […]
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Running the jail
(This story was updated Dec. 11 to include new information on the sheriff’s deadline and budget requests.) A jail administrator has been selected to run the Oklahoma County jail. Greg Williams, who has worked at Department of Corrections for nearly four decades, was selected unanimously by the jail trust in early November. However, he has […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Broken justice
Remember in 2016 when Oklahoma overwhelmingly voted in favor of State Question 780, which allows the more than 60,000 Oklahomans convicted of simple drug possession to seek parole and expunge felony drug possession? It wasn’t until 2019 that Gov. Kevin Stitt retroactively signed the state question into law. The state district attorney’s association and local […]
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Retroactive law
Nearly a thousand Oklahomans will be released from prison early — potentially in time for the holidays. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law that makes State Question 780, which reclassified simple drug possessions from felonies to misdemeanors, retroactive. Department of Corrections (DOC) must provide a list of eligible inmates to the Pardon and […]
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Reform justice
Criminal justice reform is a major agenda topic in this year’s legislative session. A myriad of bills that would implement deep changes to the system have been introduced, and though many were left for dead, several still in the process seem likely to pass. Former Republican state Speaker of the House Kris Steele is now […]
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Discussions on the county jail and criminal justice reform continue with the newly created Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council
Discussions on the county jail and criminal justice reform continue with the newly created Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council.
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Chicken-Fried News: #ThanksNoThanks
Attorney General Mike Hunter wants to move forward on the death penalty in Oklahoma despite a report showing systemic flaws that sometimes result in wrongful convictions.
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The Oklahoma Academy releases its Strategic Public Policy Goals for 2017-2020
The organization’s goals focus on fixing the state’s budget issues and building a stronger Oklahoma.
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Municipal court reforms protect the poor from undue punishment
The marshal assist program allows the municipal court to work with offenders to pay their fines without imprisonment.