This reform may be tough sell

Advocates of criminal justice reform in Oklahoma have offered several policy proposals designed to, at the very least, keep the state's inmate population from growing at the rate it has for the past many years. New polling indicates one goal may face a tough road. The issue is “85 percent” crimes, those offenses that require inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before they can become eligible for parole. Justice reform groups have floated the idea of reducing that to 60 percent. The latest Sooner Survey, a poll conducted by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, shows the public strongly prefers the 85 percent threshold. Pat McFerron, CHS president, says his firm has done other polling that reflected support for investing in diversionary programs such as drug courts and mental health treatment, but “there is really no appetite for reducing 85 percent crimes.” Provided with a sampling of 85 percent crimes, 81 percent of Oklahoma voters said they oppose a move to 60 percent. Seventy-three percent said they “strongly oppose” such a change. Only one in eight of those surveyed said they supported a change. For every person who was “very supportive,” 12 were “very opposed.” Opposition was seen among all groups of voters — men (81 percent oppose), women (80 percent), Republicans (84 percent) and Democrats (77 percent). “All age and income groups have solid majorities not just opposing, but `strongly opposing' this proposal,” the survey said. Nearly three-fourths of respondents said they would vote against a legislator who endorsed the change. It's worth noting that the crimes included in the survey question were shooting with intent to kill, first-degree rape, bombing, child prostitution, first- and second-degree murder, lewd molestation of a child and human trafficking. One of our longstanding concerns has been the steady growth in the number of 85 percent crimes in the past two decades — originally in single digits, the list now stands at roughly two dozen. This carries a fiscal impact. The increase in the number of 85 percent crimes has led to more inmates growing older in prison. These inmates are more expensive to house and care for because they face health concerns not seen in the younger population. Those who wish to see the cutoff become 60 percent are looking for ways to save the state money by reducing the inmate count, and provide offenders with a better chance to succeed once they're released — studies have shown that the longer someone is incarcerated, the more difficult the adjustment can be on the outside. These goals are commendable. However, if this poll is any indication, criminal justice reform advocates may want to consider working to simply keep the number of 85 percent crimes from growing even longer. That would be a small victory, and might not be as bruising as trying to lower the time-served threshold.