CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

VOICE leaders have worked on criminal justice reform since our founding.

Fines and Fee. VOICE continues efforts around this issue, building on work begun in 2012. Central to the issue is the fact that the judicial system is funded by the fines and fees assessed on persons who have been convicted of crimes. Funding the judicial system by allocation in the state budget rather than on assessments of fines and fees is the ultimate hope for change in this situation. The present system is confusing, complicated, and not at all transparent. This action team has forged a relationship with the office of the Oklahoma County Clerk Rick Warren, enabling greater learning about the complexities of the situation and the compilation of data from several decades. Our findings are currently being presented to member institutions and the public in a two-part Civic Academy.

Overincarceration and Second Chances. VOICE continues to support criminal justice reform at the state level, including the passage of State Question 780, which changed certain low-level drug offenses and theft from felonies to misdemeanors. This question was passed by Oklahomans by a significant margin by Oklahomans in fall 2016. Following that victory, VOICE called on the legislature to make this question retroactive, which it did in the 2019 legislative session. Unfortunately, a last-minute amendment changed what could have been a reclassification process into a costly expunging process making it financially out of reach for many Oklahomans. VOICE will continue to work with all stakeholders on this important issue.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Advisory Board. In 2017, VOICE began calling for a citizen's advisory board (CAB) to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office as one way to address some of the citizens' concerns with conditions at the county jail, as well as to increase community awareness and build public support for addressing those concerns. In 2019, after negotiations with the Sheriff's Office, we were successful in getting him to formally establish the CAB. We assisted the sheriff in collecting applications and making recommendations on board members.

Interested? Sign Up for our newsletter and watch our Calendar for upcoming meetings of the action team.