OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – FWD.us is excited to join the bipartisan Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR), as part of our ongoing efforts to fix our country’s broken criminal justice system. We are thrilled to stand with this broad and diverse group of Oklahoma leaders in advancing reforms that help to safely lower incarceration rates and create safer conditions for correctional facilities in the state of Oklahoma. This week, FWD.us collaborated with the coalition on a new data analysis demonstrating that the need to reform Oklahoma’s criminal justice system is more urgent than ever.

Oklahoma incarcerates people 80% longer than the national average and admits 91% more women per capita than the national average, which is higher than any other state for nearly 30 years. The current system is dangerously overburdened and operating at 113% of capacity, creating unsafe conditions for both staff and inmates.

As a part of its announcement, OCJR purchased an ad which has been featured in The Oklahoman and Tulsa World newspapers. The letter was signed by the board members of OCJR to announce the launch of the coalition’s statewide criminal justice reform initiative. We look forward to continuing to work with OCJR and other partners across the State of Oklahoma to support efforts to reform the state’s criminal justice system over the long term.

Below, please see the full press release from OCJR about today’s coalition event.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2018

As state approaches highest total incarceration in U.S., Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform ramps up advocacy efforts

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – With Oklahoma potentially mere days away from becoming the highest incarcerating state in the country, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) today announced new plans for aggressive advocacy for long-term improvements to the state’s broken criminal justice system. OCJR’s long-term plan for reform in Oklahoma starts with legislative approval this session of the Oklahoma Justice Reform Task Force recommendations.

The coalition – comprised of a broad range of conservative organizations and individuals across the state, including law enforcement officers, elected officials, and business and community leaders – packed a standing-room-only State Capitol event on Wednesday to announce its support for the full Task Force plan and its intention to work with stakeholders on a long-term strategy to implement criminal justice reform in Oklahoma. OCJR’s board of directors also today released a letter, which appeared in advertising in The Oklahoman and Tulsa World, calling attention to the growing problem and urging swift action.

“We are not going away because this issue is not going away,” said Kris Steele, chairman of OCJR and a former Republican speaker of the Oklahoma House. “Being on track to be worst in the nation in incarceration is the ultimate motivator to get all hands on deck to solve this crisis. Our coalition is all-in this session, and for important efforts to come, because Oklahoma families deserve and demand better than we’re getting from our justice system today.”

On Wednesday, multiple members of the coalition reiterated their dedication to evidence-based criminal justice reform policies that save taxpayer dollars, safely reduce incarceration, reinvest savings in alternatives and treatment, and preserve and strengthen families.

“It’s time for Oklahoma to reign in skyrocketing prison growth to ensure tax dollars are better spent while improving our workforce and public safety. Other states have done it, and so can we,” added Larry Nichols, chairman emeritus of Devon Energy Corp.

More than 30 states have passed plans similar to Oklahoma’s that reinvest and redirect resources currently spent on lengthy prison terms in programming to address the root causes of criminal behavior to reduce crime and better reintegrate formerly incarcerated individuals into their communities, while protecting taxpayer dollars.

In 2016, the Task Force made 27 recommendations to address Oklahoma’s mass incarceration challenges. This session, legislation is again being considered to enact its plan, which will save nearly $2 billion by averting the 25 percent prison population growth projected in the next decade. OCJR will advocate strongly to pass the full critical components of the plan.

“These bills stop the bleeding by stopping prison growth, but they don’t save the patient. It’s imperative that the bills have their full impacts included if we want to avoid building more prisons,” Steele said. “We know there is strong legislative will to rise to the occasion even in the face of opposition from those who seek to maintain the indefensible status quo.”

With state prisons at 113 percent capacity, Oklahoma is poised to surpass Louisiana to become the highest incarcerating state in the nation in total incarceration. New analysis by FWD.us reveals that in FY2017, Oklahoma sent 91 percent more women to prison per capita than the national average and held people in prison 80 percent longer for drug and property crimes.

The Task Force’s policies would free up resources for prison alternatives and treatment such as the highly-successful Tulsa-based Women in Recovery program, which keeps women out of prison while holding them accountable as they learn how to transition back into society.

“It was life-changing,” Women in Recovery graduate Kandice Nowak said at Wednesday’s event. “Women in Recovery helped me work through my past trauma and make healthy decisions. The program taught me how to live life as a healthy, productive individual again.” Nowak now works as a peer support specialist at Family and Children’s Services in Tulsa, is married with a son, and recently became a homeowner. “I hope more people can have the same hand up I received through similar diversion programs,” she said.