First Year: Stitt signs 774 commutations, 290 pardons, 101 paroles

GOVERNOR STITT SIGNS 774 COMMUTATIONS, 290 PARDONS, 101 PAROLES IN FIRST YEAR

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 14, 2020)— On the one-year anniversary of Governor Kevin Stitt’s inauguration, Gov. Stitt announced today he signed 62 commutations, 93 pardons and 23 paroles, bringing the total signed during his first year to 774 commutations, 290 pardons and 101 paroles.

“This has been a historic year for criminal justice reform in Oklahoma,” said Gov. Stitt. “Under new leadership in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and at the Pardon and Parole Board, the Board’s favorable recommendations increased by 225% over last year. I applaud everyone’s hard work and thorough management of a significant increase in casework without needing additional funds. The most impactful changes come when the right leaders are in place in state agencies, operating with a shared vision. My administration remains committed to pursuing bold changes in criminal justice reform over the next few years, to include reforming the criminal code and changing the culture in state prisons to help people return as productive members of society.”

On November 1, 2019, Gov. Stitt signed the largest single-day commutation in U.S. history, commuting the sentence of 523 non-violent, low-level offenders that were recommended by the Pardon and Parole Board under the HB 1269 docket.

This historic commutation docket was the result of months-long collaboration between the Governor’s Office, the Department of Corrections, the Pardon and Parole Board, non-profit volunteers and other state agencies. On November 4, 2019, Gov. Stitt and First Lady Sarah Stitt greeted the 55 women at the Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility that were released through the HB 1269 docket.

With the leadership of the Governor’s Office, Pardon and Parole Board, and dozens of nonprofits, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections also held its first-ever transition fairs for inmates at 28 facilities across the state. More than 200 people from 45 community partners, nonprofits and state agencies attended the fairs to help provide inmates with the support and resources needed in order to successfully reintegrate into society. These fairs connected 781 inmates with information and tools to help them prepare to leave the criminal justice system and return to their families and friends.

Additional criminal justice reform highlights from Gov. Stitt’s first year in office include:

• Invested in drug courts and diversion programs in the FY 20 budget. 
• Reformed in the FY 20 budget how District Attorney Offices are funded so they are not reliant on high fines, fees and court costs.
• Called for and signed into law HB 1373, implementing licensing reform to help remove a major barrier for former offenders to access work opportunities.
• Called for and signed HB 1269, approving an expedited commutation process to release offenders currently incarcerated on low level drug possession crimes or any other felony that would now be considered a misdemeanor due to changes in law.
• Provided correctional officers with a $2 per hour pay increase.
• Issued EO 2019-41 to address the crises of contraband cellphones in state prisons across Oklahoma.

Rep. Stark to Hold Study on State IDs for Inmates Leaving Prison

Stark to Hold Study on State IDs for Inmates Leaving Prison

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Marilyn Stark (R-Bethany) will host an interim study over state IDs for inmates upon their release at 8:30 a.m. on Tues., Nov. 12, in room 432A at the State Capitol before the House Public Safety Committee.

Stark, who attended Monday’s release in Taft of over 50 women whose sentences were commuted under House Bill 1269, said that the Legislature has taken important first steps for criminal justice reform, but there is more to be done.

“The Legislature is making progress to seriously address Oklahoma’s incarceration and recidivism rates, but it’s important that we build off of the steps we’ve taken so far and continue the momentum to propel Oklahoma into a Top Ten state,” Stark said. “The easier we can make the transition back into civilian life for people leaving incarceration, the less likely they are to reoffend. We know that the justice system has already verified the identity of each person in the system, so it seems like a serious flaw that we aren’t providing a state ID for them when they reenter society.”

Stark said this issue came to her attention prior to her election to the House while she was working with an organization that offered a food bank. She said food banks require an ID, which many former inmates lost track of while imprisoned, and a lack of state ID contributes significantly to the struggles former inmates face upon release.

Speakers may include Kris Steele, executive director of Teem; Jessica Brown from the Dept. of Corrections; Jeff Hankins, the director of drivers’ licenses services at the Dept. of Public Safety; Captain Sheridan O’Neal, a legislative liaison at the Dept. of Public Safety; Secretary of Digital Transformation and Administration David Ostrowe; and Kelly Baker, the state registrar of vital records at the Dept. of Health.

Stark expects to file legislation this year to address this issue. The deadline to introduce new bills is Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. The second session of the 57th Legislature will commence Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.

A livestream of the study will be available here beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Rep. Marilyn Stark, a Republican, serves District 100 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Her district includes portions of Bethany, Oklahoma City and Warr Acres.

Rep. Humphrey holds study to explore restructure of criminal justice system

Humphrey Studies Solution to Criminal Justice Reform

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Justin Humphrey (R-Lane) today detailed his plan to dramatically reduce the incarceration rate in Oklahoma and to create a new parole system.

Humphrey’s interim study, Restructuring the Oklahoma Criminal Justice System, was held before the House Public Safety Committee, which he chairs.

“This plan would provide increased supervision and improve outcomes for those released from our corrections’ facilities,” Humphrey said. “It would save the state millions of dollars that could be reinvested into state employees and state facilities. The second phase of this plan would radically change community corrections with a system modeled after the successful system Texas has put in place.”

Under this plan, inmates serving time for non-violent offenses or who do not have sex offenses would be released with a GPS monitor for which the offender would pay. Monitoring would be contracted through a private company, which would share data between law enforcement agencies and the courts. If the offender were to reoffend, they immediately would be remanded back to prison, but the hope is the savings experienced would be invested to help the offender get needed drug rehabilitation or mental health help, as well as education and skills they might need to join the workforce. The plan also would cap all court costs, fines and fees at $130 per sentence.

Humphrey said the new system would free prison beds for truly violent offenders and would provide millions of dollars to help those released as an effect of State Question 780, which was passed by voters in 2016 and reclassified simple drug possession and property crimes valued at less than $1,000 as misdemeanors instead of felonies. House Bill 1269, which took effect Nov. 1, made the changes retroactive to those previously sentenced. On Monday, more than 450 prisoners were released as a result of the legislation.

“This also focuses money back into our counties, our sheriffs and to our probation and parole officers,” Humphrey said. “Releasing people without quality supervision is not the answer.”

The plan would incorporate evidence-based practice principles with real, progressive discipline policies and real sanctions, Humphrey said. This could all be done without asking any more money from the Legislature and would actually result in savings that could be reinvested in officer pay and training as well as into the state’s crumbling prison system, he said.

“This will provide true alternatives to incarceration and incorporate a state-of-the-art computer system, which reports statistical data that will be used to predict and respond to trends and behaviors, keeping us ahead of the curve when it comes to addressing criminal behavior not continuously trying to catch up,” Humphrey said.

The plan also would help reduce the amount of cases currently assigned to probation officers who would be reassigned from community corrections to answer directly to prisons.

Humphrey said he’s discussed this plan with new leadership at the Department of Corrections and the Board of Corrections. He’s considering suggesting a pilot program for the state.

Speakers at today’s interim study were Officer Ray Aldridge with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 147, Cleveland County Sherriff Todd Gipson, Kyle Foster with FosTech Solutions Inc., and Andrew Speno, Oklahoma state director of Right On Crime.

State Rep. Echols celebrates mass commutation as bill becomes law

Echols Bill Moves Oklahoma Out of No. 1 in Incarceration

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma will shed its status as the No. 1 incarcerator in the nation when more than 450 prisoners are released Nov. 4 under the provisions of House Bill 1269, authored by House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols (R-Oklahoma City). The action is being called the largest commutation release of prisoners in U.S. history.

“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.”

Echols attended today’s Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board meeting during which the prisoners received board recommendations for sentence commutations under the provisions of HB 1269, which alters simple drug possession and low-level property crime charges. After the meeting, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he will quickly approve the commutations so the commuted Oklahomans can be released Monday. This move reduces Oklahoma’s incarceration rate by 1.7%, placing the state in the No. 2 spot for persons incarcerated per capita – behind Louisiana and slightly above Mississippi.

“The action taken today represents the largest measure to date to reduce the incarceration rate in Oklahoma,” Echols said. “This is a completely new day for the people granted their freedom. I’m thankful to help them rejoin their families, get to work and become productive members of our communities without the burden of a felony on a criminal record. I pray they take advantage of every opportunity afforded them to further their education or enhance their workforce skills and to get other help needed so they can continue to live in freedom.”

Oklahoma’s prison population this week, according to the Department of Corrections, was 26,334 out of a state population of 3,943,079. The projected prison population after Monday’s release is 25,884, taking the prison incarceration rate from 667.8 per 100,000 citizens to 656.4. Louisiana’s per capita prison incarceration rate is 682.6 and Mississippi’s is 648.3, based on analysis of the most recent prison populations reported by those states.

HB 1269 applies retroactively to inmates serving time for simple drug possession and property crimes valued at less than $1,000. Voters approved the reclassification of these crimes from felonies to misdemeanors with the passage of State Question 780 in 2016. HB 1269 made the change retroactive to those previously sentenced. The bill was a bipartisan effort.

Echols said this is one of many thoughtful and pragmatic steps taking place in overall criminal justice reform in Oklahoma. The Legislature for three years in a row has focused on reforms to reduce the state’s incarceration rate. Echols said he and other lawmakers will pursue additional reforms in the upcoming legislative session and going forward.

In advance of today’s move, 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.

Echols and Dunnington Coauthor Bill to Make SQ 780 Retroactive

Echols and Dunnington Coauthor Bill to Make SQ 780 Retroactive

OKLAHOMA CITY – Majority Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, and State. Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, filed legislation today that would make State Question 780 retroactive.

House Bill 1269 would provide post-conviction relief to Oklahomans whose convictions took place prior to State Question 780 passing but would have been affected had SQ780 been in place.

“It is time for Oklahoma to get out of the business of arresting and prosecuting individuals afflicted by drug addiction,” Dunnington said. “We have Oklahomans that are labeled as felons, and their crimes would be legal or a much lesser crime today. These folks are disenfranchised, and their families are suffering. This legislation seeks to heal these wounds and continue Oklahoma down the road of responsible criminal justice reform.”

Dunnington and Echols, who have worked together on bipartisan legislation in the past, see this bill as a chance for lawmakers to come together and do what is best for Oklahoma.

“The people of Oklahoma have spoken loud and clear on the issue of criminal justice reform,” Echols said. “I look forward to working with members of both parties to find not Democratic or Republican solutions, but Oklahoma solutions to the issues facing this state. This bill will be a great step in that direction.”

Minority Leader Issues Statement in Support of HB1269

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, released the following statement today in support of House Bill 1269 – legislation that would make State Question 780 retroactive:

“I commend and applaud Majority Leader Jon Echols and Representative Jason Dunnington for their leadership on this important issue,” Virgin said. “Our criminal justice system should reform lives not ruin them. This legislation gives new hope to Oklahomans whose lives have been destroyed for crimes that would be a misdemeanor today.

“I am proud to support this legislation, and I encourage the Speaker, leadership in the Senate and the Governor to stand with the hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans demanding we act on criminal justice reform. Passing this bipartisan legislation at the beginning of session would be a great signal to all of Oklahoma that this government is ready to come together to meet Oklahoma’s problems.”