The Oklahoma Crime Reclassification Act of 2022 is soft-on-crime Senator Dave Rader’s Sentencing Reform Senate Bill 1646.
The Act aims to impose similar punishments for similar nonviolent offenses. Rader commented on the Act saying that it is not a soft-on-crime bill as criminals are still held accountable. After receiving approval from two committees, a substantial change of Oklahoma’s sentencing rules now awaits a vote by the full state Senate. He pointed out that the bill does not affect the most serious offenses, for which offenders must spend at least 85 percent of their sentence.
However, because the existing law was implemented gradually over many years, Oklahoma’s current sentencing structure generally imposes longer penalties than the standard in many other states for the majority of crimes. Oklahoma is 16th in terms of prison admissions, but third in terms of imprisonment, according to Rader.
According to Rader, the new sentencing mechanism will cut the average prison sentence by around six months. Small changes like these are likely to reduce the overall prison population over time. According to a study, SB 1646 will reduce Oklahoma’s jail population by 969 people and reduce prison costs by $16.8 million if it becomes law.
State Senator Weaver, a Moore Republican, formerly serving as the director of Dangerous Drugs Control and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, spoke out against the bill, claiming that it cuts punishments for crimes that need more time in prison. He backed his disapproval saying that this reform abandons victims, both, kids and adults, and not just anyone who got scammed in a minor crime. He went on to say that it’s a mistake to focus just on lowering jail expenditures and neglect to consider how inmates affect victims.
Advances Are Set in Sentencing Reform, But Lawmakers Are Concerned
A state Senate committee has approved legislation to rectify discrepancies in Oklahoma’s sentencing laws and, as a result, cut the rate of incarceration, but lawmakers have voiced concerns about the complexity of a broad-based revision. The fact that most punishments are established on an individual basis over many years or decades, with little regard for how other identical offences are treated with, has resulted in differences in Oklahoma’s federal guidelines. According to detractors, this has resulted in a litany of problems with the system, making Oklahoma at a high position in terms of imprisonment.
According to Rader, Oklahoma ranks 16th in terms of criminal convictions but third in terms of imprisonment, in particular because the state demands longer sentences for a variety of nonviolent offences than most other states. He added that Oklahoma’s violent crime rate of incarceration is the 22nd highest in the US, but the state’s nonviolent crime incarceration rate is the second highest.
He highlighted that there is consensus across the political spectrum that Oklahoma’s sentencing regulations need to be changed.
According to independent experts, the bill will cut typical jail time in the state of Oklahoma by a total of six months, as it will create a significant long-term effect over time, he added. Several legislators agreed that Oklahoma’s sentencing code needed to be addressed, however many raised reservations about the bill’s precise sentencing amendments.
Sources:
Sentencing reform headed to full Senate – Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (ocpathink.org)
Sentencing reform advances, but lawmakers wary – Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (ocpathink.org)
