Topic: Justice System

The Governor’s justice task force gives lawmakers a chance to address the scale of Oklahoma’s prison crisis

By: Damion Shade
December 13, 2019 // Updated: January 12, 2020
The RESTORE task force could bring greater justice to the state’s prison system by strengthening investments in alternatives to incarceration and treatment, reducing fines and fees, lowering the impact of cash bail on the poorest Oklahomans, and creating a dedicated re-entry system.  [More...]

Fixing Oklahoma’s outdated criminal code could be a great step forward but policymakers should be wary of risks.

By: Damion Shade
October 16, 2019 // Updated: October 21, 2019
Reform of the state's criminal code is long overdue — as the code is a major driver of Oklahoma’s expensive incarceration crisis. [More...]

To minimize disruption to youths’ lives, Oklahoma must continue to reduce juvenile incarceration

By: Ashley Harvey
October 9, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
For justice-involved youth, current systems can remove them from educational opportunities, family, and community during a critical time in their lives, often severing their link to meaningful relationships and inadvertently further embedding them into a life of crime. [More...]

All Oklahoma children deserve a fair and equal juvenile justice system

By: Ashley Harvey
October 2, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
The justice system will continue to be unfair to people of color unless lawmakers take deliberate steps to fix it. Closing the gap in these disparities for youth is necessary for long-term justice reform in our state. [More...]

Hepatitis C in Oklahoma prisons is an expensive time bomb

By: Damion Shade
October 1, 2019 // Updated: October 2, 2019
Oklahoma must invest in a comprehensive treatment plan for the growing hepatitis C crisis in our prisons before the cost of treatment and the human toll of this crisis become unmanageable.   [More...]

Justice reinvestment offers a model to support vulnerable Oklahoma youth

By: Ashley Harvey
September 18, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
Oklahoma should take advantage of declining youth incarceration to reinvest in services  — such as therapy, substance use treatment, education, and family supports — for justice-involved youth. [More...]

Spottedcrow case highlights Oklahoma justice system’s flaws (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
September 16, 2019 // Updated: September 16, 2019
At some point it would seem to be of no benefit to the state or to offenders to keep them in debt under threat of arrest and jail.    [More...]

Oklahoma’s juvenile crime and incarceration rates plummet, but we must address deep racial disparities

By: Ryan Gentzler
September 11, 2019 // Updated: October 12, 2019
Despite these promising developments, black and brown youth are still disproportionately represented in Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system. [More...]

Don’t Believe the Hype: Recent justice reforms are working

By: Damion Shade
August 29, 2019 // Updated: August 30, 2019
Anecdotal stories about crime should not be the basis of policy, and Oklahoma should continue to pursue evidence-based criminal justice reform to reduce our state’s expensive incarceration crisis. [More...]

End of Session Round-Up: Criminal justice reform was not enough of a legislative priority in 2019

By: Damion Shade
June 4, 2019 // Updated: June 19, 2019
Oklahoma’s fines and fees system worsening the economic crisis for families and courts See all of our end of session round-ups: Taxes | Budget | Economic Opportunity | Health Care | Education | Criminal Justice Oklahoma incarcerates its citizens at a higher rate than any other place on Earth. If Oklahoma does not… Read more [More...]