Oklahoma’s historic inmate release
462 inmates were freed from Oklahoma prisons this week in what is being heralded as the largest single day commutation of sentences in U.S.
history. The release of the inmates was made possible by a series of events, beginning with the passage of a criminal justice reform ballot initiative in 2016.
The 2016 plebiscite reversed decades of harsh sentencing for minor drug and other nonviolent offenses, a trend that had landed Oklahoma the dubious distinction of locking up a greater percentage of its population than any state in the nation. However, the changes were not retroactive, necessitating action on the part of the Oklahoma legislature in order for the will of the people to become reality.
This legislature passed several key measures during the 2019 legislative session, and on November 1 the new law took effect. Following a recommendation by the state’s Pardon and Parole Board for the first batch of inmates to be released back into society, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt – who has made criminal justice reform and reducing the state’s bloated prison population a main focus of his administration – signed the commutations and this Monday saw many tearful hugs as family members welcomed their loved ones to freedom.
House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols (R-oklahoma City) was the author of House Bill 1269, which was a final step in allowing the inmates to be released. Echols said that now Oklahoma is no longer number one in putting residents behind bars.
“Oklahoma is no longer the nation’s top incarcerator,” Echols said. “This historic moment is the clearest proof yet that legislators are listening to the people and acting on criminal justice reform. Oklahoma is going to continue to take smart, practical steps like this one to further reduce our incarceration rate in a responsible manner. Oklahoma’s prison population has been in a sustained decline for three years now, and we aim to maintain that safe, steady decline well into the future.”
In advance of this week’s release, the Department of Corrections held several transition fairs in which inmates were connected with organizations available to help them with housing, transportation, employment, health care, mental health care and mentoring upon their release.
Governor Stitt said that in the near future an additional 1500 inmates could be released, but reform advocates say there is a lot more work to be done. There is concern that the state’s district attorneys – who have generally opposed the new leniency – could block some inmates from being released if they see a political advantage in doing so.
More reforms are expected to be introduced in next year’s legislative session. (La Semana)