OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — A recent Interim Study Report outlines the best ways to provide accountability and transparency to prosecutors offices. The Oklahoma House of Representatives heard an interim study on the topic of District Attorney Accountability on August 30th, 2021 in the Judicary – Criminal Committee Chaired by Representative Rande Worthen. There is an office in government that has […]
Julius Jones has exhausted all of his appeals and the United States Supreme Court has denied certiorari on his case four times. Julius is out of options and almost out of time. The last chance he has to escape the death penalty is a sentence commutation recommended by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, and approved by Governor Kevin Stitt. Today, he is one step closer due to a favorable vote for commutation from the Board.
Today the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board released its agenda for next week’s meeting. It states that the Board will be inducting a new member, Richard Smothermon. It is also clear from the Agenda that Comanche County Judge Allen McCall has stepped down from his service on the board.
This is a very exciting time to work in Criminal Justice Reform in Oklahoma. Our citizens are waking up to the unjust outcomes that the criminal justice system can sometimes deliver – and they are excited about the possibilities for change. We are starting to understand that there are so many sociological underpinnings of our criminal justice system that drive […]
It’s time to recap some of the major wins, losses, and what’s on the horizon for advocates of criminal justice reform in Oklahoma.
The sponsor and supporters of SB 334 believe an Oklahoman committing misdemeanor theft at a rate of $5 a day … should be incarcerated for up to two years at a total potential cost of nearly $40,000. You foot the bill with your tax dollars and the cost represents 20X the value of stolen merchandise in these cases.
The Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives hit one of their big deadlines on March 11th, 2021. That deadline requires that all bills that will advance to become law be passed off the floor in their house of origin before that date. This ensures enough time for the bill to pass through the opposite house and go to […]
It has been almost five years since the voters affirmatively said “yes!” to criminal justice reform that can save lives and taxpayer dollars. In those five years, the relevant stakeholders have not been able to settle upon a correct dollar amount that can be funneled into the SQ781 fund.
End of life care is something many people need in order to die with dignity – including Oklahomans who are incarcerated.
AG’s Criminal Justice Council Releases Sentencing Plan for Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a chance at substantive sentencing reform for the first time in its statehood and the people tasked with guiding that reform have released a draft proposal for what it might look like.