The Oklahoma Senate approved House Bill 2009 on Thursday to reduce the severity of sentences for repeat, non-violent offenders. Under current law, a repeat offender can face up to double the original sentence. HB 2009 would cap a repeat offender sentence to an additional quarter of the maximum sentence. The bill only applies to repeat offenders who do not have a history of violent or sexual crimes.
Senator Bill Coleman and Rep. Garry Mize are the authors of the measure.
“Right now in Oklahoma, offenders serve 70 percent longer for property crimes and 79 percent longer for drug crimes than the national average. Excessive sentencing for repeat nonviolent offenders has caused Oklahoma to have the highest incarceration rates in the nation, which is extremely expensive for taxpayers and does nothing to help these individuals re-enter society as self-sufficient, productive citizens,” Coleman said. “Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana…they’ve all reduced crime and incarceration rates at the same time. I think it’s time for Oklahoma to do the same. Let’s get our growing prison population under control and make Oklahoma more in line with the rest of the country on sentencing for nonviolent offenders.”
If HB 2009 makes it into law, it is estimated to reduce Oklahoma’s prison population by 17 percent over ten years.
“I am happy to author House Bill 2009. Oklahomans are asking for strides to be made in regards to Criminal Justice Reform,” Mize said. “This priority bill takes a step in the right direction to help get our prison population under control and move us out of the #1 spot in a category we don’t want to head.”
HB 2009 returns to the House.
