Work continues on criminal justice reform in Oklahoma with the approval of two measures by a House committee.
House Bill 2281 from Rep. Terry O’Donnell raises the felony threshold and reduces the penalties on several property crimes, including using a stolen debit or credit card or receiving stolen property.
"Our prisons are at 122 percent of capacity, and we've got to figure out a way to get nonviolent people either more quickly released from jail or figure out if they've learned their lesson in less than seven or eight years," O'Donnell said.
O’Donnell said the bill will help address Oklahoma’s high female incarceration rate.
"One of the crimes, property crimes, that affects women more so, maybe, than men is forgery and writing bad checks, so we've tried to recalibrate the sentencing structure for those felonies," O'Donnell said.
HB2281 reduces forgery of a check valued at less than $1,000 from a third-degree felony to a misdemeanor. Forgery of checks valued at more than $1,000 remains a felony, but more sentencing discretion is granted.
The House Judiciary — Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee also passed House Bill 2290, which makes several recommended changes to special court programs. They include provisions for dismissing charges after completing drug or mental health court; treatment reassessment over revocation for relapses; and regular, independent reviews of drug courts.
Rep. Ben Loring said he doesn’t understand a move to focus special courts on moderate- to high-risk offenders, however.
"If a drug court has space available, why should they not be allowed to have a low-risk individual participate?" Loring said.
The changes in both bills are recommendations from the Governor’s Justice Reform Task Force.
