Making recent justice reforms retroactive is smart policy – and a moral necessity

Voters passed State Questions 780 and 781 in response to Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis. These measures reclassified simple drug possession and several low-level property crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies and directed the savings toward treatment and rehabilitation services. The changes… Read more [More...]

The cost of maintaining the world’s highest incarceration (Capitol Update)

Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. When it comes to mass incarceration, Oklahoma is No. 1 (in the world!) But what are the… Read more [More...]

The official SQ 780 savings calculation rests on flawed assumptions

Two years ago, Oklahoma voters passed State Questions 780 and 781, together known as the Smart Justice Reform Act. SQ 780 reclassified simple drug possession and many low-level property crimes as misdemeanors rather than felonies. SQ 781 directs the Office of… Read more [More...]

The future of medical marijuana in Oklahoma

More than half a million Oklahomans voted in favor of State Question 788 legalizing medical marijuana, making Oklahoma the 30th state in the nation to legalize the drug in some form. SQ 788 directed the Department of Health to issue rules governing the implementation of the… Read more [More...]

OKPolicyCast 35: A frank conversation about criminal justice (with D’Marria Monday, Jill Webb, Erik Grayless, and Kris Steele)

The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people… Read more [More...]

To encourage reintegration, restore voting rights for people with felonies

Max West is an OK Policy intern and a recent graduate of Rogers State University with a degree in Public Administration. He will begin law school at Oklahoma City University School of Law this fall. Oklahoma’s 2018 primary election was… Read more [More...]

Plea deals have unbalanced Oklahoma’s justice system

Anna Rouw is an OK Policy summer intern. She recently graduated from the University of Tulsa. One of the most basic rights for Americans accused of a crime is the right to a fair trial before a jury. However, the… Read more [More...]

Episode 32: Danielle Allen, from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org. We’ve got… Read more [More...]

A connection between the nation’s highest incarceration and refusal to expand Medicaid? (Capitol Update)

Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. The latest state-by-state comparison for incarceration rates drew headlines in Oklahoma because we are now number one… Read more [More...]

Accepting our highest-in-the-world incarceration rate means believing that Oklahomans are the worst people

Update: Recent criminal justice reforms have moved Oklahoma’s incarceration rate back to second in the world.    We knew the day would come when Oklahoma surpassed Louisiana as the highest-incarcerating state in the highest-incarcerating country in the world. After Louisiana’s… Read more [More...]