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 […]
parole
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From board to booked
District Attorney David Prater Photo: Mark Hancock Mack Martin, an attorney for the board members, called the charges unfair. “What they did is not a crime,” he said. “That’s my opinion, and my opinion is just as important as David Prater’s.” But the D.A. contends he had no choice after he offered not to pursue […]
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Parole division
Gov. Mary Fallin The governor initially endorsed the measure, but withdrew her support after a controversy erupted between the state Pardon and Parole Board and the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association (ODAA). In a prepared statement, Fallin said she remains committed to the “general concept” of removing the governor from the pardon and parole process in […]
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Secret paroles?
“We were thinking this can’t be right,” Sharp recalled. “What was going on behind the scenes to even get her a chance to talk to the parole board? We thought [at the time of the 2008 trial] that we had eight years before we had to relive this, and all of a sudden, we had […]
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Fixing a role in parole
“Tough on crime,” “truth in sentencing” and the “jailhouse” concept for juvenile offenders all play into our overcrowded prisons. It’s time to get away from these useless and expensive concepts and focus more on being “smart on crime.” Campaign contributions from private prison operators have led to a strong “lock them up and throw away […]