Bill Allowing Videoconferencing in District Court Becomes Law

Bill Allowing Videoconferencing in District Court Becomes Law

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 21, 2020) – Courtrooms across the state will now be allowed to use videoconferencing in district court proceedings after being signed by the Governor.

House Bill 3756, authored by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, authorizes the use of videoconferencing technology in all stages of civil or criminal proceedings except in jury trials or trials before judges.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has really highlighted the flexibility and usefulness offered by videoconferencing,” Miller said. “The utilization of videoconferencing in district courts has the potential to save our criminal justice system both time and money, as well as maintaining public safety. I’m thankful Governor Stitt signed this legislation that will maximize efficiencies and bring our District Court technologies into the 21st century.”

State to resume execution by lethal injection after obtaining new, reliable supply

State Officials Announce Plans to Resume Execution by Lethal Injection

Updated protocol includes recommendations by 2016 multicounty grand jury

OKLAHOMA CITY – State officials including Gov. Kevin Stitt, Attorney General Mike Hunter and Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Scott Crow announced today that the state has found a reliable supply of drugs to resume executions by lethal injection.

The state will use an updated version of the previous protocol that includes recommendations by the 2016 multicounty grand jury. The three drugs that will continue to be used are: midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.

Additionally, officials with the Attorney General’s Office have complied with the notice provisions of the joint stipulations, thus enabling the state to request execution dates for inmates who have exhausted their appeals after 150 days.

“It is important that the state is implementing our death penalty law with a procedure that is humane and swift for those convicted of the most heinous of crimes,” Gov. Stitt said. “Director Crow and Attorney General Mike Hunter have worked diligently and thoroughly to create a path forward to resume the death penalty in Oklahoma, and the time has come to deliver accountability and justice to the victims who have suffered unthinkable loss and pain.”

Although the state previously announced the move to nitrogen hypoxia as the preferred method of execution, the 2015 law allowing the state to develop a method for nitrogen hypoxia specifically states death sentences shall be carried out by nitrogen hypoxia only if the drugs for lethal injections are unavailable.

“My commitment to Oklahomans who remain tormented by the loss of their loved ones has been that we would go any route necessary to resume executions as expeditiously as possible within the rule of law,” Attorney General Hunter said. “They have endured enough through the decades of waiting on the lengthy appeals process and the state’s attempts to get the protocol right. I appreciate Director Crow and his team for their tireless search to acquire the drugs from a reliable source. Because of these efforts, we can finally tell the victims their wait for justice is nearly over.” 

The updated protocol includes several of the recommendations by the 2016 multicounty grand jury, including a verification of execution drugs at every step in the process, more training for the execution teams, among others.

Also, consistent with the multicounty grand jury recommendations, the DOC continues to work on a protocol that will allow the state to proceed by execution through nitrogen hypoxia when appropriate.

“Under this enhanced protocol, Oklahoma Department of Corrections stands ready to resume executions recommended by a jury of peers, sentenced by an impartial judge, and mandated by law,” Director Crow said. “I thank Governor Stitt and Attorney General Hunter for their leadership, which helped create this improved process. Additionally, I am deeply grateful for the patience of victims’ families and loved ones as we worked to ensure Oklahoma’s executions resume and are carried out in a meticulous manner.”

To read the updated protocol, click here. 

Gov. Stitt appoints Scott Crow as new director of ODOC

GOVERNOR STITT APPOINTS CROW AS DIRECTOR OF OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Oklahoma City, Okla. (Dec. 6, 2019) – Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Scott Crow as the next agency director for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC), a position that will require Senate confirmation in the 2020 legislative session.

“While interim director, Scott Crow stepped forward as a visionary and strong leader for the Department of Corrections,” Stitt said. “Crow successfully led the agency to accomplish major initiatives, such as the inaugural re-entry fairs ahead of the HB 1269 commutation release. Crow is strengthening morale among employees and setting goals to modernize operations, and he is the right person to receive the appointment to be the next director of ODOC.” 

“It is an honor to serve Governor Stitt, the people of Oklahoma and staff of this great agency,” Crow said. “This is a post I accept with humility, a sense of duty, no illusions of the work that lies ahead - and an eye toward what works in corrections. I look forward to continue assisting the governor as we manage and improve this critical agency, and help make Oklahoma a Top Ten state – and ODOC a Top Ten state correctional agency.”

Since June 2019, Crow has served as ODOC Interim Director. Crow has been with the agency since April 1996, when he was hired as a Special Investigator Supervisor. Before ODOC, he worked in law enforcement in southwest Oklahoma, from officer-level up to leadership, including as a captain with the Comanche County Sheriff’s Department and Assistant Police Chief for the City of Cache.

As director, Crow will continue to lead the agency’s more than 4,300 employees working in its 24 facilities stretched across Oklahoma, as well as Probation and Parole Services and Community Corrections.

As of Thursday morning, the system was home to 25,168 inmates, with another 31,915 under community supervision and 548 in county jails awaiting housing in prison.

Pardon and Parole Board sends largest single-day commutation in history to Governor

OKLAHOMA PARDON AND PAROLE BOARD RECOMMENDS LARGEST SINGLE-DAY COMMUTATION IN U.S. HISTORY

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously Friday to recommend the sentences of 527 state inmates be commuted, the largest such action in state and national history. The office of Governor Kevin Stitt will process the recommendations by end of day Friday for final approval.

“This is a historical day for criminal justice reform in Oklahoma, as we send the largest single day commutation of sentences in our nation’s history to the governor’s desk,” said Steven Bickley, Executive Director of the Pardon and Parole Board. “With this vote, we are fulfilling the will of Oklahomans. However, from day one, the goal of this project has been more than just the release of low level, non-violent offenders, but the successful reentry of these individuals back into society. It has been a moving experience to see our state and community partners help connect our inmates with the resources they need for a successful reentry and I thank Governor Stitt, DOC Director Scott Crow, and the many local nonprofits, churches, and job creators that stepped up to ensure these inmates have every opportunity for success.”

“I applaud the Pardon and Parole Board’s dedication to fulfill the will of the people through the HB 1269 docket, giving hundreds of non-violent, low-level offenders an opportunity at a second chance,” said Governor Stitt. “I also thank the Department of Corrections and the many non-profits who are stepping up and working hard to connect our inmates with the resources they need for a successful transition. This event is another mark on our historic timeline as we move the needle in criminal justice reform, and my administration remains committed to working with Oklahomans to pursue bold change that will offer our fellow citizens a second chance while also keeping our communities and streets safe.”

Friday’s historic vote on the single-stage commutation docket is the result of months-long collaboration among numerous state entities, including Pardon and Parole, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Office of Governor Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma District Attorneys Council and Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

The board considered 814 inmates’ cases during the special meeting which was held the first day HB 1269 took effect. The 2019 law enabled the Pardon and Parole Board to hold an accelerated single-stage commutation docket to review the sentences of inmates in prison for crimes which would no longer be considered felonies if charged today.  In 2016, Oklahomans passed criminal justice reforms that made simple drug possession a misdemeanor and increased the felony dollar threshold from $500 to $1000 for felony property crimes.

The Board recommended to the Governor 527 inmates for commutation, 75% male and 25% female.  Because 65 inmates have detainers, 462 inmates will be released on Monday, November 4.  Of the inmates receiving a favorable recommendation: the average age was 39.7 years old, they had been incarcerated for the past three years, the recommendation was to commute 1,931 years resulting in inmates being released 1.34 years early on average.  Had these inmates served their full uncommuted sentence, it could have cost the State of Oklahoma approximately $11.9M for continued incarceration based upon the average costs.

In addition to the sheer number of inmates who received recommendations for commutation, this collaborative effort produced numerous other notable “firsts” in Oklahoma history.

With the leadership of the governor’s office, Pardon and Parole, and dozens of nonprofits, Oklahoma Department of Corrections 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.  These fairs connected 781 inmates with the services they may need once released.

In another first, having done the necessary release work in advance, Oklahoma Department of Corrections will be ready to release the commuted inmates on Monday, November 4.  ODOC expects to receive the signed commutation certificates from the governor’s office Friday afternoon, thus enabling the facilities to work over the weekend processing the discharge paperwork, transferring inmates’ trust account money to debit cards, and preparing the necessary inmate discharge medications.

Finally, in another first, ODOC was able to remove another major hurdle for many offenders as they return to society by arranging for recommended inmates to have a valid state-issued driver’s license or state-issued ID prior to discharge.  Removing this obstacle required through a massive coordinated work effort by ODOC staff and special grant funding from the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Arnall Family Foundation, along with assistance from TEEM (The Education and Employment Ministry). 

Stitt executive order focuses on contraband cellphones in Oklahoma prisons

GOVERNOR STITT ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ADDRESS CONTRABAND CELLPHONES IN OKLAHOMA PRISONS

Oklahoma City, Okla. (Sept. 27, 2019)— Governor Kevin Stitt announced today a new executive order to address the crises of contraband cellphones in state prisons across Oklahoma. Executive Order (EO) 2019-41 directs the Secretary of Public Safety, the Secretary of Digital Transformation and Administration and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) to research and implement technology solutions in order to eliminate the public safety threat of contraband cellphones in Oklahoma prisons and correctional facilities.

“Contraband cellphones in our state prisons have become a serious public safety concern in Oklahoma,” said Governor Stitt. “This is a technology issue that must be answered with a technology solution in order to efficiently and effectively improve safety for our inmates, Department of Correction employees and citizens of Oklahoma. Through EO 2019-41, we are working to address the contraband cellphone crises in order to minimize criminal activity in and out of our prisons.”

“Contraband cellphones are our number-one security threat,” Interim ODOC Director Scott Crow said. “I applaud Governor Stitt, his administration and lawmakers for their leadership and understanding of this critical problem. While our staff seize thousands every year, contraband cellphones cry out for a technological solution. With this order, we will proceed with urgency, researching the most effective and efficient methods to fight this dangerous problem.”

“Working behind the wire is a dangerous job and contraband cellphones add even more to that threat for correctional officers,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R -Oklahoma City. “Contraband cellphones also threaten the safety and wellbeing of inmates by allowing the planning of dangerous activity within prison walls. I appreciate the Governor’s move to pursue ways that the state can crack down on the proliferation of contraband cellphones in state prisons.”

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, an estimated 150 to 200 inmates in an Oklahoma prison initiated acts of violence led by inmate gang leaders and gang members, which spread to five additional Oklahoma prisons during the afternoon of Sunday, September 15, 2019. The premeditated acts of violence were facilitated by communication between inmates using contraband cellphones and resulted in all prisons across the state being placed on lockdown.

The new Executive Order highlights that the increase in contraband cellphones in Oklahoma prisons has resulted in a serious and on-going public safety threat, as the smuggled devices are used to promote criminal activity in and out of prisons.

EO 2019-41 directs the secretaries and DOC to explore all possible technology solutions, including geo-location systems, cellphone jammers, micro cellphone jammers, controlled access systems and hybrid systems, in order to abate the safety concern. EO 2019-41 also directs the secretaries and DOC to work with Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation and Federal agencies to determine what actions are being taken by the Federal government in Federal correctional facilities to eliminate the contraband cellphone crises and research the liability of cellphone service companies that provide cellphone service to or for contraband cellphones and develop a plan to hold those companies accountable.

Once the most cost-effective solutions have been identified, the secretaries and DOC are asked to actively seek and obtain all legal authorizations required for the use of any technologies they plan to utilize and implement the solutions in the facilities that the DOC has identified as areas of concern.

A copy of EO 2019-41 is available by clicking here.

Stitt appoints interim director for Dep't of Corrections

GOVERNOR STITT ANNOUNCES INTERIM DIRECTOR OF ODOC

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 14, 2019)— Governor Kevin Stitt has appointed former Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ Chief of Operations Scott Crow as interim director of the state’s second-largest agency.

Crow has been with the agency since April 1996, when he was hired as a Special Investigator Supervisor.

Before ODOC, he worked in law enforcement in southwest Oklahoma, from officer-level up to leadership, including as a captain with the Comanche County Sheriff’s Department and Assistant Police Chief for the City of Cache.

Crow’s appointment comes after former-Director Joe M. Allbaugh announced his immediate resignation Wednesday during the monthly meeting of ODOC’s volunteer governing board, the Oklahoma Board of Corrections.

“I appreciate Joe Allbaugh’s time serving the state of Oklahoma and building a team of talented employees,” Stitt said. “After learning of Allbaugh’s resignation, I immediately brought in Scott Crow to meet with me and to hear about his vision and passion for this important agency. Scott is the right person to step in as interim. Crow is committed to ensuring stability in leadership change and helping our administration map out a plan to build upon our recent success to increase correctional officers’ wages.”

While the search for Allbaugh’s replacement takes place, Crow will lead the agency’s more than 4,300 employees working in its 24 facilities stretched across Oklahoma, as well as Probation and Parole Services and Community Corrections.

“This agency remains in a position of strength due to its high-caliber of leaders and dedicated employees committed to public safety,” Crow said.

As of Thursday morning, the system was home to 26,145 inmates, with 32,383 under community supervision and 730 in county jails awaiting housing in prison.