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| President's Message On Prisons Resonates In Oklahoma |
| By newson6.com |
| Published: 07/20/2015 |
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EL RENO, Oklahoma - President Barack Obama's trip last week to a federal prison in El Reno, where he urged steps to curb the explosive growth of federal inmates, resonates soundly in Oklahoma, which consistently locks up more of its population than almost every state in the nation. Obama wants to scale back harsh mandatory federal sentences for drug crimes and other nonviolent offenses, and his message could equally apply to sentencing guidelines in Oklahoma, where more than half of the inmates in prison have convictions for nonviolent crimes. Fully one-quarter of Oklahoma inmates are imprisoned for drug-related offenses. With the state's prison population expected to grow by another 1,200 inmates over the next year, bipartisan momentum appears to be building in Oklahoma to resume work on a series of criminal justice initiatives that have stalled in recent years either from a lack of funding or a shortage of political will to implement them. Earlier this month, Republican Gov. Mary Fallin sent a memo to the Board of Corrections directing them to allow inmates convicted of certain serious crimes that require them to serve 85 percent of their crimes to more quickly accrue credits toward early release. She stood behind the order, even after sharp criticism from some district attorneys and legislators, who argue the directive will lead to violent criminals being released early. Read More. |
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