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 […]
incarceration
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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 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Orange issues
Piper Kerman lecture and book signing 7-9 p.m. Tuesday Freede Center University of Oklahoma City 2501 Blackwelder Ave okcu.edu/piper 405-208-5446 Free Piper Kerman, bestselling author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, will deliver a free lecture hosted by Oklahoma City University (OCU) on Tuesday. The lecture is part of […]
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Hashed out
If an ordinance introduced to Oklahoma City Council members Aug. 28 passes later this month, when the council votes on it, Oklahoma County Jail will no longer hold prisoners for possession of marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia. “This is a cause for celebration,” Ward 2 council member Ed Shadid said of the ordinance introduced by Oklahoma […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Slammers slammed
Oklahoma’s incarceration rate is out of control, and the states jails can’t keep up.
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A local school works to reduce risks for children with incarcerated parents
Children with incarcerated parents face slimmer chances of success than other children, but Little Light Christian School hopes to reverse those odds.
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Commentary: State questions require voter diligence
Oklahoma’s state questions affect our everyday lives and must be carefully considered before Election Day.
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Letters to the Editor: July 1, 2015
Concerning incarceration I want to commend Ben Felder for posing tough questions and sharing (what should be) startling statistics around the achievement gap between our African-American co-citizens and their white peers (News, Cover, “Warning bells,” June 3, Oklahoma Gazette). The hard truth is we face problems both systematic and intergenerational, leaving no area of life […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Nonviolent November
The state government intends to reduce the number of incarcerated nonviolent offenders with the Justice Safety Valve Act.
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Ok, this one isn’t funny
The state ranked 18th in economic security, with a grade of “B-.” Among the scores, Oklahoma women overall make 76 cents, African-American women make 64 cents and Hispanic women make 46 cents for each dollar white men in Oklahoma make. We ranked 41st in leadership. Only 36.4 percent of statewide elected executive seats and 13.4 […]