Oklahoma has taken some giant strides towards a better criminal justice system. Last month, we celebrated the largest single-day commutation event in U.S. history. Families came back home and neighbors rejoined their communities.
But, our work is far from over.
Oklahomans consistently put more people in prison for longer periods than other states in our country. For every story about someone released last month, there’s one about someone who is still serving an excessive and harsh sentence in our prison system today. There is another mother, like I was, separated from their children desperately wanting redemption and a second chance.
We need to stop addressing symptoms and start solving the root of our incarceration crisis: sentence enhancements.
People accused of crimes in Oklahoma often have years, decades or even life in prison stacked on top of their prison sentence if they have ever been convicted of a crime in the past. These sentence enhancements are applied not by a jury of our peers but purely by the prosecution. Under current law, prosecutors can use a sentence enhancement to lengthen sentences for nearly any offense. The result is that Oklahomans spend nearly 70% longer in prison for property crimes and 79% longer for drug crimes than the national average.
Our packed prisons aren’t helping our state. I don’t want to live in a state that is a top incarcerator nationally, and I know most Oklahomans don’t either. This incarceration crisis is tearing apart families and hurting our communities.
It’s time for us to take action.
Starting on December 26, citizens will be able to add their name to a petition aimed at curing the incarceration crisis — not just fixing a symptom.
State Question 805 is a common-sense reform that will end the use of sentence enhancements for nonviolent offenses and allow people who have already received an extreme sentence to petition the court for relief. People could still receive the maximum sentence for that crime, but would not receive an even longer sentence beyond the maximum for past convictions.
I’ve seen the impact these harsh enhancements have had on our economy and community. I saw firsthand the impact my sentence had on my kids and family. And I’m not alone.
A recent poll by Public Opinion Strategies shows that 66% of Oklahoma voters support the ballot proposal. Oklahomans strongly support this initiative and I’m urging you to sign the petition.
We need close to 178,000 signatures by March 25 to allow citizens to vote “yes” on a common-sense reform that will dramatically reduce the use of harsh and ineffective sentence enhancements.
Please join me in bringing Oklahoma a step closer to ending its incarceration crisis and being one of the top incarcerators in the world. Please stand with our hurting communities and fractured families. Stand with me, someone who went through the system and miraculously made it successfully out the other side.
Let’s keep moving forward, Oklahoma.
Sonya Pyles is a reform
advocate and project
coordinator and Tulsa
Lawyers for Children.