A new report the best way to address chronic absenteeism is for schools to work with parents, students, and community partners, rather than rely on punitive measures.
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By:
Cole Allen
July 9, 2024 // Updated: July 9, 2024
While the Oklahoma Legislature passed some important measures in 2024, there were also disconcerting attempts to undo years of improvements. Some of these harmful measures were stopped, but many positive changes also failed to progress. If Oklahoma truly wants an effective criminal justice system, legislators must protect and build on the progress made over the years.
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By:
Cole Allen
June 24, 2024 // Updated: June 24, 2024
If Oklahoma's lawmakers are serious about improving public safety, they should focus their efforts on eliminating justice-related fees and fines. Doing so would help justice-involved Oklahomans and improve public safety, provide stable funding for essential public safety services, and would be a cost-effective investment for our justice system.
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By:
Jill Mencke
June 13, 2024 // Updated: June 17, 2024
Oklahoma is not known for being a safe and hospitable place for children. Oklahoma, for the second year in a row, ranks 46th nationally in overall child well-being. Lawmakers sought to address this problem in the 2024 session by passing budget increases to vital services like the child welfare and youth justice systems. However, Oklahoma’s structural budget deficit has meant that state agencies and service providers in the child welfare systems have continually been forced to do more with less year after year.
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Proposals to criminalize homelessness are harmful and counterproductive. Research shows us that the best way to combat homelessness is to increase access to affordable housing.
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By:
Cole Allen
March 22, 2024 // Updated: March 26, 2024
Some lawmakers and others have shared OSBI data purporting to show a dramatic increase in larceny, shoplifting, or other property crimes. OSBI has said those spikes were created by changes in data reporting, not increases in crime.
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By:
Jill Mencke
November 2, 2023 // Updated: November 8, 2023
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With the overall occurrence of youth delinquency and detention at a historic low, Oklahoma has the opportunity to invest more resources in delinquency prevention and alternatives to incarceration in the youth legal system. The legislature has taken…
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By:
Steve Lewis
November 1, 2023 // Updated: November 1, 2023
Rep. Amanda Swope, D-Tulsa, who in her life outside the legislature is the Tribal Juvenile Justice Program Director for the Muscogee Nation, brought her passion for helping troubled youth with her when she was elected to the House of Representatives.…
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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…
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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…
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