Sentencing reform advances in the Senate as Senate Bill 287 wins approval ahead of this week’s deadline. The measure pulls back on the sentencing for repeat non-violence, non-sexual offenders. If Senator Bill Coleman’s legislation is signed into law it would require that repeat offenders would serve no more than the maximum sentence plus one-fourth of the sentence that could have been imposed for a first time offence.
“In Oklahoma, offenders with nonviolent felonies, who commit property and drug crimes, serve as much as 70 to 80 percent longer than the national average,” said Coleman. “Studies have shown that longer prison sentences for these types of offenders does nothing to rehabilitate them or lower recidivism rates yet the state continues to double and triple their sentences further increasing our out of control prison population.”
Coleman points to the Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform poll in October 2018 which showed 66 percent of Oklahoma voters believe habitual offender enhancements should only be applied to violent offenses.
The Ponca City Senator believes his measure would save taxpayer dollars in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections system by reducing its population.
“Instead of warehousing these offenders, we need to get them the treatment, education or training they need to avoid the crimes that landed them in prison. Typically, these individuals suffer with addictions, mental illness or lacked education and training to support their families and turned to easy money through criminal behavior,” said Coleman. “By modifying sentencing for second felony offenses, we can lower our prison population over time, decrease recidivism and get these individuals back to their families where they can begin contributing to society. I want to thank my Senate colleagues for their support of this important criminal justice reform measure.”
