Ryan Gentzler joined OK Policy in January of 2016 as a policy analyst focusing on criminal justice issues, including sentencing, incarceration, court fines and fees, and pretrial detention. Open Justice Oklahoma grew out of Ryan’s groundbreaking analysis of court records, which was used to inform critical policy debates. A native Nebraskan, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma and a BA in Institutions and Policy from William Jewell College. He served as an OK Policy Research Fellow in 2014-2015.
By: Ryan Gentzler
August 18, 2021 // Updated: November 5, 2021
Oklahoma’s long-standing eviction crisis has been slowed by the infusion of millions of dollars in rental assistance during the last year and a half. While it’s heartening to see major investments in keeping people housed, the eviction process itself is broken, and we need to make it work better for both tenants and landlords. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
June 25, 2021 // Updated: June 24, 2021
Though the Legislature has again failed to fund the treatments that SQ 781 statutorily required, we know that justice reform has measurably reduced the prison population and that mental health remains severely underfunded. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
October 19, 2020 // Updated: October 20, 2020
Data show that eviction filings and orders have accelerated in Oklahoma even after the CDC moratorium took effect on Sept. 4, and Oklahomans remain at risk for eviction through the end of the year. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
October 9, 2020 // Updated: June 29, 2021
As Oklahomans prepare to vote on State Question 805 during the Nov. 3 general election, opponents have started attacking the justice reform measure in predictable ways, attempting to stir up fear through false and misleading claims. Opponents of SQ 805… Read more [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
May 15, 2020 // Updated: May 14, 2020
Oklahoma courts should plan to transition back to normal operations gradually and cautiously in order to avoid exacerbating the spread of the coronavirus or facilitating mass evictions. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
April 1, 2020 // Updated: April 1, 2020
The Oklahoma Court Tracker, a tool by OK Policy’s Open Justice Oklahoma program, displays information on who is filing eviction and foreclosure cases and where those cases have been filed. As of April 1, plaintiffs have filed 1,116 evictions and 131 foreclosures since Oklahoma’s emergency declaration on March 15. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
March 25, 2020 // Updated: April 1, 2020
Eviction hearings are postponed across the state and that means Oklahomans cannot be forced from their homes by an eviction or foreclosure until April 15 at the earliest. [More...]
By: Ryan Gentzler
March 23, 2020 // Updated: March 26, 2020
Oklahoma’s county courts, which handle all civil and most criminal cases across the state, have suspended most of their activities until April 15 at the earliest. There has been no official guidance about the collection of criminal fines and fees while court activity is suspended [More...]