Four measures intended to reduce the strain on Oklahoma’s prison system are now law.
Former Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris was on the steering committee that came up with a set of unanimous recommendations that turned into four bills that should reduce the number of felony charges when they’re unwarranted.
"We put a lot of people in the penitentiary that we were mad at but that we weren't really afraid of, and that's breaking the bank," Harris said. "We need our tax dollars for other things, like education."
The bills reduce certain drug possession charges from felonies to misdemeanors, raise the felony threshold on property crimes from $500 to $1,000, grant prosecutors more leeway in filing misdemeanors rather than felonies and expand access to drug courts.
"It's cost-neutral to the taxpayer. It will save the taxpayers money in the long run by not incarcerating people at $20,000 a year, and yet we think we can reduce recidivism. We can figure out why it is that they got in the criminal justice system."
One in 12 Oklahomans has a felony conviction or is on probation for a felony.
"We're absolutely decimating our workforce, and when we put people in the penitentiary, especially women, their kids end up in DHS, so you end up supporting them," Harris said.
The steering committee will reconvene soon to start coming up with recommendations for next year.
