After almost a year of doubt and weeks of waiting for movement at the Oklahoma Capitol, lawmakers advanced seven bills that would mark the state’s next step in criminal justice reform, The Oklahoman reports. Senate Floor Leader Greg Treat said the proposals that could reach Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk this week are significant to reducing Oklahoma’s prison population, but he acknowledged there’s still more work to do. “If we take all the bills together, (it) will have a drastic impact on beds in the prison system in Oklahoma,” said Treat. “It will not eliminate the problem of overcrowding, but it will definitely slow the growth.”
Treat said the changes would reduce the estimated number of future prison beds needed by more than 9,000 if all bills are signed. Treat wants to do more criminal justice reform. “I hope it’s not a task force next year. I hope we work through the interim with the district attorneys and advocates,” he said, referencing prosecutors’ calls for updating how Oklahoma classifies crimes. Treat said the new legislation upholds the intent of statewide votes that changed drug possession from a felony to misdemeanor and designed a framework for more mental health and substance abuse treatment. Andrew Speno, Oklahoma director of the criminal justice reform organization Right on Crime said the new bills “are diluted from their original form. While they’re a critical next step, they are far from the last step.” He said, “We’re still on an upward trajectory (of prison population). We need to reverse it so we’re actually going down over 10 years.”