State of Oklahoma Archives: on Crime


Abby Broyles: Reduce sentences for low-level drug crimes

Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Rather than continuing to pour money into a failing system, we must take concrete steps to address our incarceration crisis. Abby will take a multi-pronged approach to fight for a system that works. She will advocate to reduce sentences for low-level drug crimes and invest in trauma-informed rehabilitation and mental health services.
Source: 2020 Oklahoma Senate campaign website AbbyBroyles.com Jul 26, 2020

Kevin Stitt: Make it easier for ex-cons to go to work

But money is not the sole action government must take. I am encouraged by legislation in the House to accomplish licensing reform for those with a felony. We must give Oklahomans re-entering society more opportunities to be gainfully employed and we must give employers more discretion on who they can hire.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Oklahoma legislature Feb 4, 2019

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

Mike Workman: Supports the death penalty, but only for horrific crimes

Q: Do you support the death penalty?

Mike Workman: Yes, but only for horrific crimes with undeniable evidence

Source: iSideWith.com voter guide on 2016 Oklahoma Senate race Aug 31, 2016

Neil Gorsuch: Jurors have ability to impartially apply death penalty

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 2-1 to uphold the Oklahoma death sentence of Scott Eizember, who went on a deadly crime spree in 2003.

Eizember was sentenced to be executed for the bludgeoning death of A.J. Cantrell, 76, and to 150 years in prison in the shotgun slaying of Patsy Cantrell, 70, at their Depew home. "Scott Eizember left a Tulsa jail intent on settling a score," Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Denver-based appeals court wrote in a 34-page decision. "He was upset with his ex-girlfriend, Kathy Biggs, because she had tipped off authorities about his violation of a protective order." Eizember had broken into the Cantrells' home to watch and wait for his ex-girlfriend to return to her mother's house across the street.

One judge on a three-judge panel said the death sentence should be overturned. In a 30-page dissenting opinion, the Chief Judge wrote that one juror's views in favor of the death penalty raise doubts about her ability to be fair and impartial.

Source: The Oklahoman on death penalty appeal Sep 15, 2015

Connie Johnson: Aggressive sentencing reform, and abolish death penalty

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has announced the election of its new Board Chair, former Oklahoma State Senator and candidate Constance Johnson.

Johnson recently retired after 33-years in the State Senate, representing Oklahoma City's predominantly African American "Eastside," where she pursued a game-changing focus on health/mental health/human services issues that disproportionately affect the economic and social well-being of the poor, minorities, women, children, and people with disabilities. Johnson contends her aggressive proposals on sentencing reform and abolishing the death penalty are beginning to gain traction in Oklahoma's conservative climate.

Johnson's advocacy grew out of her Master's Thesis on Women and Incarceration in Oklahoma, which is reflective of the high cost and impact on the state's budget.

Source: City Sentinel coverage of 2016 Oklahoma Senate race May 21, 2015

Mary Fallin: Supports death penalty even after botched lethal injection

She also has given strong support to the death penalty, even in the wake of the April 29 botched lethal injection of death row inmate Clayton Lockett. Fallin ordered her secretary of safety and security to conduct an independent investigation into the execution, but has said Lockett's death sentence was lawfully carried out and that "justice was served."
Source: Greenfield Reporter on 2014 Oklahoma gubernatorial race Jun 18, 2014

Mary Fallin: 2011: OK to experiment with drugs used in lethal injection

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Oklahoma has the highest number of executions per capita in the country. Fallin laid the groundwork for this week's debacle [of a botched execution] in 2011 by signing into legislation that enabled Oklahoma to experiment with the drugs used in lethal injection and to keep the details secret.

In April, when the State Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on the execution of Clayton Lockett, citing concerns about the constitutionality of that law, Fallin decided to ignore it. The Supreme Court's "attempted stay of execution is outside the constitutional authority of that body," she declared. "I cannot give effect to the order by that honorable court." (The Court eventually reached a different conclusion on its own, it said.)

"You have a political figure who unnecessarily rushed forward an execution, under the veil of secrecy, that led to the torture of an individual at the hands of the state of Oklahoma," [one opponent said].

Source: MSNBC coverage of 2014 Oklahoma gubernatorial race May 1, 2014

Mary Fallin: Be as "smart on crime" as we are "tough on crime"

For non-violent offenders in our prison population, we are working hard to offer treatment and rehabilitation--to be as "smart on crime" as we are "tough on crime." I'm looking forward to a renewed partnership between the Department of Corrections, the Legislature and my office, as we work with the agency and its new director to evaluate and improve our smart on crime initiatives, including the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
Source: 2014 State of the State address to Oklahoma legislature Feb 3, 2014

Mary Fallin: Murder is about video games & broken families, not guns

Q: In the wake of the random shooting of an Australian tourist, the former deputy prime minister of Australia has advised tourists that they should boycott the US to make a statement about gun control.

FALLIN: I don't think this issue is about gun control. It's an issue about murder. Q: What on earth do you think would lead three teenagers to gun down a complete stranger, because they say they were bored and had nothing to do?

FALLIN: It's just unfathomable that they would even have a thought in their mind to gun down somebody who is so innocent, just taking a jog through the community. But, you know, in America, we do have different families that are broken, we do have poverty rates, we have those that are uneducated, we have substance abuse issues, we certainly have a lot of video games, a lot of movies that depict violence in our society, and that is something we as parents, certainly, as community people should take at heart, to always try to make things better in our communities.

Source: Fox News Sunday 2013, on 2014 Oklahoma gubernatorial race Aug 25, 2013

Matt Silverstein: Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

Silverstein noted his support of women's issues, an issue where Inhofe falls short. "He was one of only five senators who opposed reauthorizing the Violence Against Women's Act," he said, adding that equality for women in the military is also not high on Inhofe's list.
Source: RedDirtReport.com coverage of 2014 Oklahoma Senate race Aug 13, 2013

Jim Bridenstine: Swift capital punishment saves lives

Q: Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?

A: Yes. When used appropriately, swift capital punishment deters violent crimes and saves lives. Capital punishment for certain heinous crimes is consistent with the high intrinsic value of human life.

Source: Oklahoma Congressional 2012 Political Courage Test Oct 30, 2012

Joe Dorman: Death penalty for repeat sex offenders, but not if retarded

Dorman voted YEA on SB 1800, Death Penalty for Second Offender Sex Offenders, Conference Report Adopted (88-8): Dorman voted YEA on SB 1807, Prohibiting Death Sentence For Mentally Retarded Defendant, Conference Report Adopted (91-5):