Criminal justice numbers show why change needed

DATA compiled by an affiliate of the Pew Charitable Trusts makes plain why Oklahoma cannot continue on its present course regarding criminal justice, and why a governor’s task force spent six months studying the problem. Unfortunately, the task force’s report is in limbo.

The panel originally planned to release its recommendations in December. That was pushed back to mid-January, then delayed again due to weather concerns. The new expected release date, last Wednesday, came and went without a word.

We know the recommendations in the report didn’t have unanimous support of the 21 members. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, for one, is concerned about trying to significantly drive down the prison population — the primary goal — without having enough pardon and parole officers, support systems and treatment programs in place to serve inmates when they return to their communities.

His concerns are no doubt shared by other district attorneys. Among other things, the task force wants to see sentences shortened for statutorily nonviolent crimes, such as those related to possession or distribution of drugs, because nearly one-third of all prison admissions are for drug-related offenses. And, research has found that for low-level offenders, lengthier stays in prison increase the likelihood an inmate will re-offend once he or she is released.

Yet lack of total buy-in shouldn’t get in the way of moving forward on this issue. Some of the findings by the Crime and Justice Institute underscore why action is needed:

• Oklahoma’s prison population has grown by 9 percent since 2009, while about 30 states have seen their imprisonment rates decline. Oklahoma has the second-highest imprisonment rate in the country and is No. 1 among women (the latter has been the case since 1991).

• From fiscal year 2011 to FY 2015, prison admissions grew by 20 percent. During that time, CJI says, the number of first-time drug possession offenders sentenced to prison more than doubled.

• When the CJI looked at the state’s standing prison population — what sort of offenders are behind bars on any given day — it found that the No. 1 offense was possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Possession with intent to distribute was No. 3. Sandwiched in the middle was first-degree murder.

• If nothing is done, Oklahoma’s prison population is projected to grow by 25 percent (roughly 7,200 inmates) in the next decade, necessitating construction of perhaps three prisons. Total price tag for those: $1.2 billion, plus $700 million for operations. Oklahoma’s existing prisons already operate beyond their inmate capacity, with thousands of offenders being housed in county jails waiting for transfer to DOC facilities.

After the first working meeting of the task force, in August, Gov. Mary Fallin said she was confident the group would “generate reforms that will improve public safety …” In December, she said, correctly, that the state can do better than lock up low-level offenders for long stretches. Yet now, two weeks before the 2017 session begins, the task force report sits idle.

We encourage the governor to release it and then ask lawmakers to find recommendations they can embrace. The perfect shouldn’t get in the way of the good on this issue, because Oklahoma’s current practices are clearly unsustainable. Change needs to happen.