Chapter 2
Community
Incarceration Doesn’t Make Oklahoma Communities Safer
Oklahoma’s criminal justice system should be focused on keeping communities safe, but instead at every stage of the system, it fails to rehabilitate, protect survivors, or strengthen community ties.
Pretrial Incarceration Hurts Oklahoma Communities
Underfunded and overcrowded jails separate thousands of Oklahomans from their families — many are incarcerated only because they can’t afford to buy their freedom.
Across the state, high bond amounts force people to decide between paying bond and other necessary expenses.
- GarfieldFelony: $7,500
Misdemeanor: $1,500 - Comanche
- Tulsa
- Oklahoma
Right: Two months of rent for a two bedroom home
- GarfieldFelony: $7,500
Misdemeanor: $1,500 - Comanche
- Tulsa
- Oklahoma
Misdemeanor bond in Garfield County
Two months of rent for a two bedroom home
Oklahoma’s System is Not Fair
Across the state, due to Oklahoma’s unfair sentencing system, powerful district attorneys, and the lack of high quality alternatives, the type and length of sentences people receive varies dramatically across communities.
Imprisonment rates, changing prison admissions, and sentence lengths vary greatly across 77 counties and 27 DA districts
- Imprisonment rate per 10,000 residents, FY 2021Imprisonment rate per 10,000 residents, FY 2021
- Change in drug and property admissions for new court commitments, FY16 - FY19Change in drug and property admissions for new court commitments, FY16 - FY19
- Mean sentence length in months for new court commitments, FY 2021Mean sentence length in months for new court commitments, FY 2021
