Governor applauds passage of criminal justice reform bills

Tuesday was a banner day for advocates of Oklahoma criminal justice reform as the state Senate passed eight separate bills that were written with the goal of lowering Oklahoma’s high incarceration rate while preserving public safety.

“These historic votes will improve public safety in Oklahoma and save our state $1.9 billion,” said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, whose criminal justice reform task force recommended the bulk of the changes currently being considered by the Legislature.

“Making smart, datadriven decisions on how to increase safety while decreasing our overcapacity prisons is key to pursuing smaller, more efficient and more moral government,” the governor said.

Oklahoma, which has the second-highest incarceration rate in the nation and the highest rate for women, is facing a prison crisis.

Oklahoma’s state prison system is currently operating at 107 percent of capacity, with 26,507 inmates behind prison walls, 1,513 awaiting transfer from county jails and another 33,497 serving some form of probation.

Unless changes are made, the state will need to build three new prisons within the next 10 years, which would cost the state an additional $1.9 billion in capital expenditures and operating costs, experts have said. The timing couldn’t be much

worse, with the state facing an $878 million budget shortfall. With those factors in mind, Oklahoma lawmakers drafted a dozen separate bills in an effort to enact laws that would implement a lengthy list of reforms recommended by the governor’s task force. By late Tuesday afternoon, all 12 had obtained favorable votes in either the Senate or House and are now awaiting action by the other chamber. The closest Senate vote on the package of reform measures Tuesday came on Senate Bill 786, which would establish additional tiers for crimes of burglary and tie the ranges of potential punishments to the value of stolen items.

For example, breaking into a coin-operated machine and stealing less than $1,000 would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in the county jail and a fine of up to $500. The bill passed the Senate 26-19 and will now go to the House. Senate author Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, said the bill is not in its final form so the title was stricken, which will give senators another look at the bill before it can become law.

Another key reform measure that passed the Senate on Tuesday was Senate Bill 689. The bill, which passed 42-3, would give judges and prosecutors more options in diverting people from prison and into treatment and supervision programs. It also is designed to reduce financial obstacles that hinder convicted individuals in their ability to reintegrate into society and would expand the use of graduated sanctions and incentives to modify behavior. The Senate also passed: • Senate Bill 649, which distinguishes between violent and nonviolent offenders in determining how much their sentences should be lengthened for repeat offenses.

• Senate Bill 650, which decreases the amount of time nonviolent offenders who have reformed their behavior must wait before they can apply to have their criminal records expunged.

• Senate Bill 603, which would require the development of individualized improvement plans for inmates to help them better prepare to reintegrate into society.

• Senate Bill 604, which would provide training for law enforcement officers on dealing with victims of domestic violence.

• Senate Bill 609, which calls for the state attorney general to develop a training and certification process for professional victim advocates.

• Senate Bill 793, which would establish an oversight council to continue to monitor criminal justice reforms.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would reduce the potential punishment for a number of property crimes by making prison sentences dependent on the value of items stolen.

Terry O’Donnell, author of House Bill 2281, said passage of the bill is important if the state wants to decrease the number of Oklahoma women in prison because these are the types of crimes for which many women are imprisoned.

“It is a real game changer,” O-Donnell, R-Tulsa, said of the bill.

The measure passed the House 84-8 Tuesday evening and is headed to the Senate for consideration. The title was taken off the bill, so the House will also have another chance to act on the bill.