Some drug reform advocates view the state’s cannabis laws as antiquated, counterproductive and slightly unfair.
prisons
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Chicken-Fried News: Marriage, arrested
No inmates are allowed to get married in Oklahoma prisons until the Supreme Court issues a ruling on same-sex marriage, thanks to the Oklahoma DOC.
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Clifton Adcock, staff reporter with Oklahoma Watch, and Sean Wallace, executive director of Oklahoma Corrections Professionals, discuss the overcrowding of the state’s prison system and early release programs designed to relieve some of that pressure.
Clifton Adcock, staff reporter with Oklahoma Watch, and Sean Wallace, executive director of Oklahoma Corrections Professionals, discuss the overcrowding of the state’s prison system and early release programs designed to relieve some of that pressure.
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Brake dancing with facts
State employees, including the corrections officers and state troopers who protect us, haven’t received a pay raise since 2006, but our country-club Republicans allocated $7 million to needlessly remodel Capitol legislative offices, including a conference room “complete with a catering area and offices.” We incarcerate over 26,000 people (27 percent for drug offenses), costing hundreds […]
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Playing politics with prison
And now, only weeks after session adjourned, the governor has forced out our director, Justin Jones, who served the state and the DOC for 36 years. The reason: He resisted efforts to privatize the state’s prison system. Private prison corporations have deep pockets, and the governor and Republican leadership are only so willing to take […]
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The cannabis justice system
Credit: Brad Gregg Black-and-white because some believe its medicinal benefits outweigh the stigma. Others want to nip that conversation in the bud. Green all over because Oklahomans both black and white use the drug at comparable rates. But — and here’s the punch line — black citizens in the state are arrested nearly three times […]
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Correction needed for correctional officers
If you answered yes to all of these application questions, you may qualify to become a correctional officer for the state of Oklahoma. For your valuable service, the state will pay you $11.83 an hour to start, less than most of your local convenience store clerks and less than any other state corrections officer in […]
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Counterpoint: : Real reform is still wanting
But even in its beginning, the legislation’s reforms were modest at best. In its final version, HB 3052 is a reform bill in name only — more notable for what it does not do than for what it does. There is even the potential that it could dig us deeper into our current prison crisis […]
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Point: Overhauling criminal justice
The bill funds strategic crime reduction initiatives, requires post-release supervision of all felons and initiates several strategies proven to control prison growth and reduce crime. It’s a tougher, smarter fight against crime. This new policy was developed through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a nine-month, data-driven review of Oklahoma’s entire criminal justice system. Among the shortcomings […]