By:
Steve Lewis
June 23, 2025 // Updated: June 23, 2025

It may be time for the legislature to take another look at pretrial release reform in Oklahoma. Cash bail bonds are typically based primarily on the charges filed and include little, if any, evidence-based assessment of flight risk or danger…
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By:
Jill Mencke
June 22, 2025 // Updated: June 23, 2025

Oklahoma lawmakers passed new legislation this year to help protect and support children, especially those in foster care, the legal system, and with special needs. While these changes aim to keep kids safe, support families, and improve access to state…
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By:
Dave Hamby
June 21, 2025 // Updated: June 21, 2025

What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In…
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As usual, Oklahoma’s legislative session ended with a flurry of fiscal and budget bills in the last two weeks of the session. The legislature has one constitutional requirement every year: pass a balanced budget. In doing so, the legislature decides…
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By:
Steve Lewis
June 16, 2025 // Updated: June 16, 2025

A new law passed this session will establish stringent new reporting requirements for any employee, contractor, volunteer, or third party “working in or around” (1) a state-run juvenile facility, (2) a private contractor or group home under the supervision of…
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By:
Cole Allen
June 15, 2025 // Updated: June 15, 2025

This year, legislators advanced a number of bills that will improve the criminal justice system in Oklahoma, and largely managed to avoid undoing previous work. Going into the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers should continue to prioritize building upon progress rather than tearing down policies that work.
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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In…
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The federal government's use of tear gas and National Guard troops against protestors in Los Angeles should sound an alarm for residents in every state — including places like Oklahoma that are far from a border. These tactics may start in Los Angeles, but history tells us they won't stay there.
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By:
Steve Lewis
June 10, 2025 // Updated: June 10, 2025

One of the more positive results of the leveraging between policy and budget issues at the end of the legislative session was the passage of SB 1168, which deals with the perplexing issue of sovereign immunity
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By:
Dave Hamby
June 9, 2025 // Updated: June 9, 2025

New report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds Oklahoma remained among the worst states for child well-being, reflecting the failure of state leaders to invest in a better future for our children.
• 2025 KIDS COUNT® Data Book
•…
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