The Cost Trap: How Excessive Fees Lock Oklahomans Into the Criminal Justice System without Boosting State Revenue: Introduction

[Download the full report as a pdf.] Introduction This report examines how criminal justice fines and fees trap Oklahomans in poverty while providing ever-smaller financial benefits to the state. Lawmakers must recognize that our approach to criminal justice debt is… Read more [More...]

The Cost Trap – Appendices

Appendix I. Court Collection Totals Appendix II. District Court Collection Data… Read more [More...]

The Cost Trap: How Excessive Fees Lock Oklahomans Into the Criminal Justice System without Boosting State Revenue: Executive Summary

Tens of thousands of Oklahomans enter the justice system each year and come out with thousands of dollars in legal financial obligations. For poor Oklahomans, this debt can amount to most of their family’s income, and it often leads to a cycle of incarceration and poverty. Read more... [More...]

Increasing Access to Long-acting Reversible Contraception Brings Lasting Gains for Oklahoma Women and Girls

Choosing when and whether to have children is an important decision for Oklahoma families. When families are given more power to plan pregnancies and births, they are shown to attain more education, earn higher incomes, and develop stronger marriages. Read more... [More...]

Budget Trends and Outlook — January 2017

[Download this fact sheet as a pdf.] Estimates show Oklahoma faces another large budget hole next year. The State Equalization Board met in December and certified $6.038 billion in available revenue for next year, which is $740 million less than… Read more [More...]

Budget Trends and Outlook — November 2016

Download this fact sheet as a pdf. The state continues to face a dire budget outlook Through the first four months of the current fiscal year, General Revenue collections have come in 1.8 percent below the estimate and 8.7 percent… Read more [More...]

2015 Oklahoma Poverty Profile

610,828 Oklahomans had incomes below the poverty level in 2015. That's 16.1 percent of Oklahoma's population, or about one out of every six Oklahomans. Read more... [More...]

Enmienda Estatal Oklahoma 2016

Descargue esta hoja informativa en formato PDF. Enmienda Estatal 776: La Enmienda Constitucional Sobre La Pena De Muerte SQ 776 es una enmienda constitucional que afirma el derecho del Estado de Oklahoma para llevar a cabo las ejecuciones. Se le… Read more [More...]

Enmienda Estatal 792: Reforma de la Ley de Alcohol

Descargue esta hoja informativa en formato PDF. El punto importante La Enmienda Estatal 792 cambiaría la constitución de Oklahoma para permitir que las tiendas de comestibles y mini mercados vendan vino y cerveza de alto porcentaje de alcohol. Actualmente, estas… Read more [More...]

Enmienda Estatal 790: Uso de Recursos Públicos para Fines Religiosos

Descargue esta hoja informativa en formato PDF. El punto importante SQ 790 es una enmienda constitucional que derogaría el Artículo 2, sección 5 de la Constitución de Oklahoma, que dice: “Ningún dinero público o propiedad debería ser apropiado, aplicado, donado… Read more [More...]