With approximately 28,000 inmates Oklahoma has the 2nd highest incarceration rate per capita in the US. Female incarceration per capita has been the highest in the US for the past 17 years straight. Although we are successful with low recidivism rates, our lock-up rates are unnecessarily high and siphoning desperately needed funds. In 2017 Oklahoma will spend about $17,300 per inmate, which is about twice what we pay per student!
As a combat veteran and avid law enforcement supporter, I am committed to providing our citizens a safe place to live. Public safety is a core function of government and should not be diluted. At the same time and speaking as a business owner, I continually seek greater efficiencies and solving problems in the most cost effective manner. As such I believe that we can continue to keep Oklahoma a safe place to raise a family all while: lowering corrections costs, maintaining low recidivism rates, and rehabilitating perpetrators into tax-contributing citizens.
As your State Senator I am continuing to assist the ongoing criminal justice reform momentum by:
- Working to expand alternative programs, such as drug courts and veterans treatment courts, which offer uniquely tailored rehabilitation paths for non-violent offenders instead of placing them in already over-crowded prisons;
- Expanding the Justice Safety Valve Act, which grants judges extra leeway when it comes to mandatory sentencing for non-violent offenses, as long as certain criteria are met;
- Increasing support for mental health treatment programs
Please review the information on the pages to the left and feel free to contact me with your opinions using the contact link above.