Author: David Gateley

David Gateley joined Oklahoma Policy Institute in August 2021 as the Criminal Justice Policy Analyst. Raised in Oklahoma, David received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. After graduation, he earned his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he wrote on topics such as the abolition of cash bail and the effectiveness of restorative justice. David is a member of the Oklahoma State Bar. He is dedicated to reforming the criminal legal system away from mass incarceration. He lives in Oklahoma City.

Recent Articles

Lawmakers made incremental changes towards justice reform last session, but Oklahomans deserve much more

By: David Gateley
September 4, 2023 // Updated: September 4, 2023

During Oklahoma’s 2023 legislative session, lawmakers made some positive improvements in the state’s criminal legal system, including investments into diversion programs and significant reforms around court fines and fees. While these changes are commendable, they are only the beginning of… Read more [More...]

Oklahomans deserve justice reform; there is still time to deliver results this session

By: David Gateley
March 29, 2023 // Updated: March 29, 2023

Now that the Oklahoma state legislature is roughly halfway through the 2023 session, there is still time for lawmakers to prioritize criminal justice issues. In recent years, Oklahoma has made some progress in modernizing the state’s justice system and alleviating… Read more [More...]

It is time for lawmakers to revisit Oklahoma’s possession with intent to distribute law

By: David Gateley
February 22, 2023 // Updated: February 22, 2023

Over the last six years, Oklahoma has seen a marked reduction in the number of people going to prison, with the largest reductions coming from drug convictions thanks to recent voter-approved justice reform efforts. However, there’s more lawmakers can do.… Read more [More...]

State Question 820: Recreational Marijuana Legalization Initiative

By: David Gateley
February 13, 2023 // Updated: February 28, 2023

NOTE: This version corrects the amount of marijuana that an individual would be allowed to posses. [2-28-23] State Question 820 will be on the ballot on March 7, 2023. Click below to jump to section: The Gist Background Information Ballot… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s parole process has helped safely lower the number of people in prison. Continued investments could build on this progress.

By: David Gateley
November 7, 2022 // Updated: November 6, 2022

Oklahoma’s parole process — which allows conditional early release from prison — has played a key role in lowering the number of Oklahomans behind bars. The use of parole has reunited families, protected public safety, and saved the state hundreds… Read more [More...]

Medicaid expansion is a vital piece of reentry for Oklahomans leaving incarceration

By: David Gateley
August 9, 2022 // Updated: February 27, 2023

Oklahoma prisons are constitutionally required to provide medical services to the more than 21,000 people in their custody. As those individuals are released back to their communities, they are at risk of losing health care coverage unless insurance is available,… Read more [More...]

The legislature made important steps forward on criminal justice this session. More remains to be done.

By: David Gateley
June 9, 2022 // Updated: June 8, 2022

There remains much work ahead as Oklahoma still incarcerates more people than almost anywhere in the world. As such, lawmakers missed opportunities to help curb the state’s ongoing incarceration crisis or make much-needed investments in county-level mental health and substance abuse services. [More...]

The 2022 session brings rare opportunity for significant progress in our criminal justice system

By: David Gateley
February 16, 2022 // Updated: March 14, 2022

Even after progress, Oklahoma still ranks third in overall incarceration, with more than 21,000 people in state custody and another 26,000 under some form of supervision. [More...]