Oklahoma may need three new prisons in the next 10 years

If no state action is taken to constrain prison growth, Oklahoma’s prison population during the next 10 years will increase by 25 percent — more than 7,000 people — and require three more prisons to be built or contracted, newly released data shows.

The Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force, created in July, found that Oklahoma’s current prison population greatly exceeds capacity, posing problems for prison staff and reducing the ability to rehabilitate offenders, 94 percent of whom return to the community.

The task force was scheduled to make its final report to Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders Thursday for possible legislative action next year.

However, Fallin’s office announced Tuesday afternoon that the task force wouldn’t meet that deadline.

Instead, Fallin’s office gave a vague deadline: “The task force will deliver its recommendations before the start of the 2017 legislative session, which begins Feb. 6,” a news release noted.

“I am hearing increasing interest from legislators and community leaders about continuing to move the ball on criminal justice reform, and I expect this task force to deliver the bold ideas Oklahoma needs to do that,” Fallin said in a news release. “We can do better in dealing with nonviolent, low offenders who have mental health conditions or who are addicted to drugs or alcohol with appropriate treatment, rather than felony prosecution and long-term incarceration.”

Oklahoma has the second highest imprisonment rate in the country. It has the highest rate for imprisoning women per capita — a ranking the state has held since 1991.

Additionally, at last count, 60 percent of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ population, 17,000 people, have either symptoms or a history of mental illness.

In Oklahoma, where the waiting list to statefunded residential drug treatment is more than 800 people, the top offense in prison is drug possession.

The Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force has been developing datadriven policy recommendations to improve public safety, control corrections spending and improve recidivism rates for consideration during the 2017 legislative session.

The task force includes law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, members of the business community, victim advocates, mental health and addiction professionals, and legislators.

It has been receiving technical assistance from two national criminal justice experts, the Crime and Justice Institute and the Pew Charitable Trusts.