May 22, 2023

Striving for Change: The Complex Relationship between Police and Criminal Justice Reform

In recent years, discussions surrounding criminal justice reform have gained significant momentum, leading to a reevaluation of the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the pursuit of justice. While the police play a vital role in maintaining  community safety, there is growing recognition that systemic issues within the criminal justice system must be addressed.  One important area that the media […]

Ashley Bender Article 0 2 min read
April 27, 2023

The Steep Price of the System

For decades Oklahoma has funded its courts, law enforcement and public services on the backs of criminal defendants. This funding model creates numerous problems including underfunded crime prevention and victim’s services, police forced to waste time serving as debt collectors, and  fines and fees which function as a tax on low income families in Oklahoma. Using criminal court fines and […]

Michael Olson Article 0 8 min read
March 24, 2023

Why You Should Be A Criminal Legal Reform Advocate

There is little disagreement that Oklahoma’s criminal legal system is broken.  Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world for a reason. One in five Oklahomans has a criminal record. This means you probably know someone or are someone who has been impacted by our system. Despite significant progress made over recent years by criminal legal reform […]

Yvita Fox-Crider Article 0 4 min read
March 15, 2023

Our Top Policy Priorities This Legislative Session

Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform is thankful for the opportunity to help educate the public and policymakers at the Capitol this legislative session as we all work towards a more equitable criminal legal system for all Oklahomans.  With this in mind, we would like to highlight just a few of the areas where the state is poised to make progress […]

Ashley Bender Article 0 5 min read
March 9, 2023

Women’s History Month: The Past, Present, and Future

March is Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. This month provides us all with an opportunity to remember, write about, and share stories about both the diversity of women’s lived experiences and the […]

Ashley Bender Article 0 5 min read
February 13, 2023

The Truths of SQ820

The history of the criminalization of marijuana is filled with racial biases. It was targeted in the 1930s as an “alien scourge” and criminalized due to its association with Black and Latin American communities. Criminalization was never about public health. Tobacco, which is the leading cause of preventable death in the world, and alcohol, which is the third leading cause […]

Michael Olson Article 1 7 min read
January 13, 2023

Can Police Militarization Be Justified?

Governments across the world are attempting to combat crime. The United States, and in particular, rural Oklahoma law enforcement agencies have increasingly turned towards “tough on crime” tactics including military equipment and long sentences to curb crime in their jurisdictions. Unfortunately, these tactics are extremely flawed and only serve to alleviate  specific symptoms of crime rather than actually cure the […]

Michael Olson Article 0 6 min read