2018 OK Governor's race: on Crime
Chris Powell:
Stricter punishment doesn't reduce crime
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Stricter punishment reduces crime"?
A: Strongly oppose.
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate
May 15, 2018
Joe Maldonado:
Stricter punishment doesn't reduce crime
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Stricter punishment reduces crime"?
A: No, it does not; teaching people not to hate is our answer and starting in schools with respect, dealing with drug problem and getting lobbyist and special rights groups out of our courts would help
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate
May 15, 2018
Mary Fallin:
No life sentences for juveniles
Fallin vetoed a bill that would have allowed the state to sentence some juveniles to life in prison without parole. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that juveniles should not be imprisoned for life without the chance for parole except
in rare cases. Fallin said she vetoed the proposal because she believes it violates that high court decision.
Oklahoma has at least 41 inmates serving no-parole sentences for crimes committed when they were 17 or younger
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2018 Oklahoma governor race
May 12, 2018
Gary Richardson:
Alternatives cost less than imprisonment
During a forum last week in Oklahoma City, the candidates were asked what steps they would take as governor to reduce the number of people incarcerated in Oklahoma. That total, which has been growing for decades, stands at roughly
27,000. On a per capita basis, the state's incarceration rate ranks No. 2 nationally; we lead the country in female incarceration rate. All the candidates mentioned the need to find innovative ways to deal with nonviolent offenders, who
make up the majority of those behind bars.Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson noted it costs the state about $23,000 per year to house an inmate, while alternative programs for those suffering from poor
mental health or addiction cost about $5,000 annually. "We've got to get smart with how we deal with these problems," he said.
Source: The Oklahoman on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
May 3, 2018
Kevin Stitt:
Keep violent offenders behind bars, with fair sentencing
During a forum last week in Oklahoma City, the candidates were asked what steps they would take as governor to reduce the number of people incarcerated in Oklahoma. That total, which has been growing for decades, stands at roughly
27,000. On a per capita basis, the state's incarceration rate ranks No. 2 nationally; we lead the country in female incarceration rate. All the candidates mentioned the need to find innovative ways to deal with nonviolent offenders, who
make up the majority of those behind bars."We are sticking out like a sore thumb," said Tulsa businessman Kevin Stitt. Stitt said prosecutors must be provided "the sticks they need" to keep violent offenders behind bars, but that
Oklahoma should "look at what the market is. Market to me is what the states around us are doing, and come up with those types of fair sentencing (practices) across all counties ."
Source: The Oklahoman on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
May 3, 2018
Mick Cornett:
If prison recidivism rates get reduced so will incarceration
During a forum last week in Oklahoma City, the candidates were asked what steps they would take as governor to reduce the number of people incarcerated in Oklahoma. That total, which has been growing for decades, stands at roughly
27,000. On a per capita basis, the state's incarceration rate ranks No. 2 nationally; we lead the country in female incarceration rate.
Cornett said improving the state's recidivism rate would do much to drive down incarceration totals. "It hurts me to admit that if a person drops out of high school, chances are they won't be going back, but if a person gets out of prison,
chances are they will be going back," he said. "We do a very poor job of offering a person a better path coming out." Cornett said he believes criminal justice reform is an area where headway can be made."
Source: The Oklahoman on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
May 3, 2018
Drew Edmondson:
Remove profit motive from the prison system
Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday slammed the state's incarceration rate--and its reliance on private prisons--at a forum that also focused on education, health care and the budget.
Democrat Drew Edmondson said it was "immoral" to have a profit motive connected to incarceration. The state is spending 10 times as much to keep people in prison as it would to treat them, he said.
Source: Tulsa World on 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2018
Gary Richardson:
Opposed to private prisons; focus on justice, not jail
Q: How would you fix Oklahoma's prison system?Johnson: "We improve the criminal justice system by removing the situation that got us here: the war on drugs."
Johnson then went on to decry the amount of women locked up in Oklahoma, saying it
then leads to children without mothers who go to schools where counselors aren't available. It perpetuates a cycle, she said, that is in part fueled by private prisons.
Richardson: "I am opposed to private prisons.
As governor, I would institute a one-week training program for every new prosecutor based on the fact that it's about justice, not throwing people in jail."
All of the candidates agreed on a few questions, including that civil asset forfeiture is wrong without a conviction and the state government should not be involved in a person's religion or choice to have no religion.
Source: Norman Transcript on 2018 Oklahoma governor debate
Jan 7, 2018
Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021
Beshear(D)
vs.