Felicia is currently serving a 20-year sentence for simple drug possession, a crime that no longer comes with any prison time whatsoever in Oklahoma.
On December 5th, 2018, Gov. Mary Fallin granted commutations to 21 applicants that reached her desk through a campaign led by Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR). This action will lead to the immediate release of these 21 individuals — including Felicia — who were serving excessive prison sentences for low-level offenses.
That penalty was suspended pending Felicia’s successful completion of drug court. But relapse is part of addiction, and following two failed drug tests in 2016, she was sentenced to the full 20 years.
In July of 2017, Oklahoma reclassified drug possession as a misdemeanor offense. If Felicia was arrested under current law, she would not be serving time in prison. Instead, she’s facing two decades of incarceration.
“When I first heard my sentence I was shocked. I was devastated,” she says. “Twenty years of my life.”
Felicia’s done what she can from behind bars, participating in work, classes, and recovery programs. She’s set herself up for a transition mentorship program in expectation of her release.
It’s time to bring Felicia home. Commute her sentence. Please share her story.
“When I first heard my sentence I was shocked. I was devastated.”
