By:
Damion Shade
August 29, 2019 // Updated: August 30, 2019
![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/Dont-believe-the-hype-Recent-justice-reforms-are-working.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
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.
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![Oklahoma’s fines and fees system worsening the economic crisis for families and courts](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/Criminal-Justice-reform-was-not-enough-of-a-legislative-priority-in-2019.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
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…
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By:
Paul Shinn
May 29, 2019 // Updated: May 27, 2021
![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/FY-20-Budget-Overview-The-Rebuilding-Project-Continues-Ft-img.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
Overall, it's best to think of this budget as a second step on what needs to be a long journey. When adjusted for inflation, this budget is still 10.1 percent below the FY 2009 level. Over half of state agencies still have lower budgets than they did in FY 2009 without accounting for inflation.
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![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/HB-1269-makes-780-retroactive-but-it-leaves-many-issues-unresolved.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
HB 1269 is a positive step for justice reform in Oklahoma, but a recent amendment will complicate the bill’s resentencing process and create financial hurdles that will lessen the positive impact of retroactivity.
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![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/18679405513_ea60e7ff42_k.jpg?fit=150%2C103&ssl=1)
Stable employment is the single biggest factor in determining whether Oklahomans released from prison are likely to re-offend. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for justice-involved Oklahomans is five times higher than the statewide average. Workforce training in prisons is one of…
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![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/justice-scales-imbalanced-by-money.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
Thousands of Oklahomans who have not been convicted of a crime are locked in county jails across the state because they can’t afford to buy their freedom from a bondsman. How long you stay in jail often depends on where…
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![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/land-surveyors.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
Nearly 30 percent of the American workforce needs a license to do their job, so we should carefully examine the rules about who can, and can’t, get an occupational license. This is especially important for the justice-involved, a group that faces multiple barriers (including licensing restrictions) to employment and economic stability.
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By:
Steve Lewis
March 18, 2019 // Updated: March 18, 2019
![Prison Visit](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/visiting3-1.jpg?fit=150%2C89&ssl=1)
A defining issue for this legislature and Governor Stitt's leadership in his first session could be a remarkable advancement in criminal justice reform.
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By:
Ryan Gentzler
February 26, 2019 // Updated: February 26, 2019
![Oklahoma Justice system court fines and fees](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/lady-justice-statue-on-pile-of-money.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1)
Oklahomans who are arrested for nonviolent offenses often spend several weeks in local and county jails because they're unable to afford to post money bond, incurring steep costs with little benefit to public safety. A new study of court records by Open Justice Oklahoma finds that the harmful effects of money bail are felt across the state, though differing policies across counties create deep disparities in the likelihood and length of pretrial detentions.
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By:
Damion Shade
February 20, 2019 // Updated: March 29, 2019
![](https://i0.wp.com/okpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/Bill-Watch-Criminal-Justice-In-2019-a-bipartisan-coalition-is-finally-advocating-for-criminal-justice-reform-in-Oklahoma.jpg?fit=150%2C79&ssl=1)
This legislative session, leaders of both parties, the governor, the Oklahoma business community and the public at large have expressed a clear desire to work towards ending Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis. Some of these legislative initiatives build on the progress of Gov. Fallin’s Criminal Justice Task Force, but many proposals represent new attempts to lower Oklahoma’s highest-in-the-world incarceration rate.
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