OK CURE
Ensuring that prisons are used only for those who absolutely must be incarcerated and that prisoners have all the resources they need to turn their lives around.
P. O. Box 9741
Tulsa, OK 74157-0741
ph: 918-744-9857
okcure
News & Events
Cell Block 2 - OSP
Cimarron Visiting Schedule CHANGES: February 23, 2010
Effective Saturday, 3-6-10, the schedule will change as indicated below and remain in effect until further notice. The schedule for Level 1 inmates has not changed and remains on Friday's from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 6
Level 2 M – Z 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Levels 3 & 4 M - Z 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 7
Level 2 A – K 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Levels 3 & 4 A - K 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
"Locked Up" - Part of Oklahoma Christian's Complex Dialogues Series - Urban Tulsa Weekly - December 28, 2009
Locked Up. Oklahoma Christian University, in partnership with the George Kaiser Family Foundation and Don and Donna Millican, announced it will host a summit on Jan. 26 to address the high rate of female incarceration in Oklahoma. The summit, which is a part of Oklahoma Christian's Complex Dialogues series, will focus on prevention and early intervention as well as incarceration alternatives for nonviolent offenders, who make up 68 percent of Oklahoma's female prison population.
Oklahoma currently leads the United States in incarcerating women, at a rate of 134 women per 100,000, compared to the national average of 69 women per 100,000.
"Our high rate of incarcerating nonviolent females not only impacts the state financially, but more importantly, it adversely affects the children of those incarcerated and thus influences future generations," said Rep. Kris Steele. "We must be smarter in our efforts to address nonviolent women offenders. With input and participation from leaders across the state, I am confident that we can address this issue through legislative, judicial, community support, educational, prevention and early intervention initiatives developed during the summit."
Committees comprised of Oklahoma legislators, judges, attorneys, community service providers, educators, researchers, business leaders and government officials will meet several times prior to the conference to discuss steps each group can take to solve the issue. Recommendations from each group will be presented and discussed during the summit.
"This is an important issue that impacts every community in our state," said Ken Levit, executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. "The summit will serve as a spring board for a statewide discussion that will result in proactive initiatives and innovative solutions for reducing our female incarceration rate."
"The Complex Dialogues series is an important part of our university's commitment to free and respectful inquiry and the search for truth, which helps our students become wise thinkers and make a meaningful difference for good in our world," said Dr. Mike O'Neal, president of Oklahoma Christian University. "This will not be your typical conference. We are bringing together key decision makers and challenging them to develop solutions that they can implement following the conference. It is our strong intention that the ultimate outcome of this symposium not be merely an acknowledgement of the problem and an academic exercise about solutions, but rather many lives enriched and a better Oklahoma."
For more information on the Women Incarcerated Summit, please contact Brian Bush, executive director of Oklahoma Christian University Academy of Leadership and Liberty, at brian.bush@oc.edu or (405) 425-1065 (405) 425-1065 .
Future Cuts Looming - OPINION Tulsa World - December 27-27, 2009
For Terri White, the math isn't;t difficult or fuzzy. Oklahomans' inability to receive the mental health and substance abuse treatment they need only increases the burden on the criminal justice system. In Rocky budget times, that leaves lawmakers with an important choice. Will they consider mental health and substance abuse services -- the agency White oversees __ as an offshoot of public safety entitled to some measure of budget protection?
Or will these services face the potential drastic that are likely to hit other so called nonessential services of state government? The answer, White believes, will say much about where the state is in its understanding of brain health. That's hardly the only question facing legislators.But it is an important one. Because as hard as mental health officials have worked in recent years to destigmatize mental illness and substance abuse, drastically reducing the availability of treatment services for Oklahomans who can't afford it on their own could easily undo that process.
Not all who suffer from mental illness or addictions are prone to violence. But it only takes one horrific crime -- think the Nichols Hills doctor with a history of mental problems accused of killing his son -- to convince those suffering that they might be ostracized for seeking treatment. For some, a choice to forgo treatment would be dangerous not only for themselves but those around them. "These are the things that can shake communities and their perceptions of mental illness," White said, noting that more than 600 Oklahomans are on a daily waiting list to receive state -funded services.
Families also can fall victim to reduced treatment services, when mentally ill or drug addicted parents can't get the help they need to keep a family together and children are neglected or abused. White and Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones agree that diversionary programs such as mental health and substance abuse treatment not only are good for Oklahomans but cost less in the long run. Drug and mental health courts that keep non-violent offenders out of prisons are proof of that.
Even more cost effective are treatment programs that help keep Oklahomans from ever coming in contact with law enforcement, and prevent further burdening prisons with Oklahomans, unquenchable lock--'em--up attitude. In fact, the link between corrections and mental health and substance abuse treatment is so strong that lawmakers should seriously consider a new way for those agencies to function in the future. Now, the Corrections Department handles it's own treatment services within prisons.
It could make more sense to let the mental health agency and its experts expand services into prisons and let corrections officials focus on their core job -- keeping the bad guys behind bars. Some lawmakers have recognized the budget crisis as an opportunity to take a fresh look at government. Here's a chance to show they mean it.
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
Justice Center - The Council of State GovernmentsDecember 15, 2009
For Immediate Release
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
New York—The House and Senate have passed an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3288) for the remainder of fiscal year 2010 that includes funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill provides $114 million to the Department of Justice for prisoner reentry, including $14 million for reentry initiatives in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $100 million for Second Chance Act programs, including
- $37 million for reentry demonstration projects under Sec. 101 of the Second Chance Act
- $15 million for mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations under Sec. 211
- $10 million for reentry courts under Sec. 111
- $7.5 million for family-based substance abuse treatment under Sec. 113
- $2.5 million for grants to evaluate and improve education in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities under Sec. 114
- $5 million for technology careers training demonstration grants under Sec. 115
- $13 million for reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration under Sec. 201
- $10 million for reentry research under Sec. 245
The omnibus bill also provides $108,493,000 to the Department of Labor for ex-offender activities under the Second Chance Act and the Workforce Investment Act, including $15 million for a transitional jobs grant program. The bill also includes funding for the following programs:
- $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
- $10 million for a justice reinvestment grant program, which will provide technical assistance, incentive grants, and other activities in support of comprehensive, evidence-based criminal justice reform and recidivism-reduction efforts by states
- $519 million for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
- $40 million for the Byrne Competitive Grant Program
- $45 million for drug courts
- $330 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)
- $30 million for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
- $1.7986 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant
- $202.2 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
- $454.63 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, including $67.6 million for programs in CSAT's Criminal Justice portfolio
- $1.0598 billion for the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- $1.4894 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health
- $462.35 million for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
Visitation Updates - Weekend December 12 & 13
As it stands today:
OSR
Level 3 & 4 Medium Security offenders and all Minimum Security - regular visiting hours
MACC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
DCC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
Lawton C.F.
1. Levels 3 & 4 - at the number hours policy
2. No offender housed in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) will be allowed visits.
3. Protective Custody - normal visitation
Cimarron C.F.
Levels 3 & 4 - 2 hour visits
Oklahoma City Lawmaker Wants Governor Eventually Removed from Parole Process
- December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City lawmaker on Tuesday said she will introduce legislation to eventually remove the governor from the parole process.
Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, said her measure would make a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board be approved if the governor failed to act on it within 30 days. However, the governor would still be involved in the process for heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, she said.
Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, had filed similar legislation in the past. It passed the House, but it did not get heard in the Senate, Johnson said.
Johnson said her legislation would allow for a trial period and then put the issue of removing the governor entirely from the process to a vote of the people, something which voters have not approved in the past.
But Johnson said there is growing momentum for removing the governor from the process. "As it is, Oklahoma is the only remaining state where the governor is involved in the parole process," Johnson said.
The Board of Corrections supports removing the governor from the process as a means to reduce incarceration rates.
John Pearson, chairman of Citizens for Responsible Parole, said the state's current budget crisis will give lawmakers the "cover" they need to vote for Johnson's bill.
State agencies have been told to reduce budgets by 5 percent through the remainder of the fiscal year, with deeper cuts possible, as a result of a significant decline in state revenue.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has a budget of about half a billion dollars, yet the agency is still severely underfunded, Pearson said.
Pearson said there is widespread support for removing the governor from the parole process.
Adviser: Juveniles' Sentences Too Long - December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — Too many juveniles are at state facilities and serve longer sentences than in other states, according to an expert on juvenile justice.
Bobbie Huskey, president of Chicago-based Huskey and Associates, said the state could save up to $4.4 million a year by reducing the number of juveniles in secure facilities and placing them in staff-secure group homes.
She was hired by the Office of Juvenile Affairs as a consultant and issued a report to the Board of Juvenile Affairs on Friday.
Huskey is a juvenile justice reform consultant to 33 states and is the past president of the American Correctional Association.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is 14.7 months or 1.2 years," she said. "This compares to six to 12 months the most frequently reported average length of stays by 53 percent of the states reporting," Huskey said.
Low-risk males spend more time in institutions than high-risk males, she said.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is not associated with risk to re-offend level or by age," she said. "Immaturity, lack of motivation, effects of institutionalization, fear of returning home and staff's response to youth's behaviors are some of the factors for the extended length of stay," she said.
She said there is a potential pool of offenders who could benefit from a lower level of care.
Huskey said the state's three secure facilities are not equipped to separate adolescents from adults or highly violent offenders from non-violent youth. Nationally accepted practices do not permit the mixing of such groups, she said.
In addition, many living units at state facilities do not meet standards, Huskey said.
The agency has no standards for frequency of treatment hours per week at the facilities, she said. But national guidelines call for five hours a week of individual or group treatment, Huskey said.
"Five times more black youth are confined in secure institutions compared to the state's youth population, documenting disproportionate confinement of these youth," she said.
She said OJA needs a special reintegration program to help offenders at facilities be successful when they complete their stay.
In the next few months, the agency expects to present the board with a plan to implement her suggestions and find solutions for the problems mentioned, said Gene Christian, Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director.
"The first thing to work on is the length of stay," Christian said.
Update on Visitation - December 3, 2009 - for the weekend of December 5-6
I have been advise that there will NOT be any visiting this weekend at Granite, Hominy or Stringtown, OR at the 3 privates - Cushing, Holdenville and Lawton.
They will advise again next week as to whether anyone will be allow to visit next weekend. Those that have been doing time for a while will remember that during the lockdowns in the summer of '08, after a couple of weeks, inmates of a certain level or living in certain pods got to start to have visiting before visiting was open back up to everyone. My guess is that it would stand to reason to happen again with this lockdown.
But as always we will keep everyone advise as soon as we have any news.
Lynn, President OK CURE
Parole Plea - Legislature Should Weight Policy Change - December 3, 2009 - Oklahoman Editorial
Would Oklahomans vote to remove the governor from the parole process? It's a rhetorical question, because voters aren't likely to get that opportunity any time soon.
The Legislature must first approve sending such a question to a vote of the people. The chances of that happening are remote. Most members, particularly the Republican-controlled leadership, are content with the status quo, and Democratic Gov. Brad Henry hasn't been campaigning for a change in procedure.
Oklahoma remains the only state that requires its governor to sign off on every parole request. That comes at a cost. A 2007 audit of the Department of Corrections estimated that removing the governor from the process would save roughly $40 million over 10 years.
The same audit, authorized by lawmakers at a cost of more than $800,000, said an increase in the number of offenders who must serve 85 percent of their time before being eligible for parole, combined with the state's low parole rate, would naturally lead to growth in an inmate population that already has prisons brimming.
The Board of Corrections, citing the ongoing budget crunch, is urging lawmakers to look again at removing the governor from the parole process. We believe it makes sense to do so for all but the most heinous crimes. Otherwise why have the Pardon and Parole Board spend so much time each month vetting cases?
Voters shouldn't have to worry about it, though. As much as they should, this is one area where legislators are unlikely to budge, sour economy or not.
Tulsa DA's Office Pulling Out of Case-expediting Program - November 29, 2009 - Tulsa World - by Bill Braun - World Staff Writer
A procedure designed to expedite criminal cases of nonviolent offenders through the Tulsa County court system is coming to a halt, following District Attorney Tim Harris' announcement that he is pulling out of the program.
Citing budget concerns, Harris notified court officials that effective in January, the assistant district attorney who has handled the Accelerated Accountability Procedure docket will focus on duties on other dockets.
Proponents of the accelerated accountability program are concerned that this will affect the county's Community Sentencing program, which attempts to rehabilitate offenders on probation with the assistance of supervision, sanctions, treatment and education.
"We are not abandoning community sentencing," First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond said. READ MORE>>
Officials Wonder if Attack is Linked to Others at Prison - December 1, 2009 - The Oklahoman - by Johnny Johnson, Staff Writer for OPUBCO
LAWTON---Investigators are trying to determine if a prison attack Saturday may be tied to a series of coordinated prison fights that took place a week earlier between Hispanic and American Indian prisoners. In the latest attack, Lawton police said Saturday that two inmates at the Lawton Correctional Center were attacked by two other inmates wielding homemade hatchets and knives. The injured inmates were taken by ambulance to a Lawton hospital, and one of the men required surgery.
The private prison is owned by Florida-based GEO Group Inc., which on Monday referred questions to Lawton police. Calls to Lawton police detectives Monday were not returned. A Lawton television station reported that two American Indian inmates attacked two Hispanic inmates.
Last week, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said he had heard the initial prison gang fights stemmed from the arrest of an American Indian Man accused of shooting, stabbing and burning three women and a Hispanic man at a southwest Oklahoma City house on Nov.9.
David Allen Tyner faces six counts of first-degree murder in connection with deaths which included Casey Barrientos a 32-year-old man he once worked for as a bodyguard, along with three women and two unborn children. CONTRIBUTING : THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Correction Official Urges Reform Plan - December 1, 2009 - World Capital Bureau - by Barbara Hoberock
The Department of Corrections is approaching its breaking point, said David Hanneke, a board of Corrections member. Henneke, chairman of the board's legislative committee, asked in a Nov 23 letter to lawmakers for reconsideration of a number of previously discarded proposals to reduce the agency's costs. "We are thinking that maybe with the economic times the way they are, maybe some of the things may have a better chance." Hanneke said.
The board suggests removing the governor from the parole process. Previous efforts to change the process have failed. A recent audit projected that a 30 percent parole approval rate would result in a stagnant if not declining prison population, the letter says. "At the time of the audit, the governor was approving 18.98 percent of those considered for parole," the letter says.
The audit suggested that the state could save $40.7 million over 10 years by eliminating the governor from the parole process, the letter says. However, such a move would require voter approval, something which has failed in the past. Henneke said in the letter that while we are reducing our budget by an annualized 5 percent ($22,650,000) we are currently experiencing a supplemental need of approximately $6 million just for the net offender growth.
There are also over 1,600 offenders in county jails, sentenced and awaiting arrival to the department." The board is also suggesting restarting an early release program for nonviolent offenders who are within 60 days of release when the prison population has been at 95 percent of capacity for 30 days.
"In the past, we have had disagreements with the board on the definition of nonviolent," said Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said "I do not favor early release as a cost control measure." Terrill is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.
The board is also suggesting reducing the percentage of time an inmate must serve for certain crimes before the offender can be considered for parole to 65 percent. Such a move would mean offenders who committed those crimes would be supervised on parole rather than released to the streets with no supervision, Hanneke said.
Terrill said the agency has been productive in reducing its budget but that he is concerned about the prospects of furloughing agency staff. Many of the proposals may result in savings in the long run, but not in the short term, he said. "If there is no relief in appropriations or staffing and the Department of Corrections is forced to do some furloughs, then i see no alternative but to make a public call for a lockdown at the facilities during that period of time," Terrill said.
A year ago, shortly before the recession kicked the stool out from under state revenues, Oklahoma Academy researchers asked what it would take to put Oklahoma at the national average in incarceration rates.
This is what it would take: The immediate release of 9,000 inmates, including half the women behind bars.
Don't worry, we're not about to reach the national average, which is at least three percentage points lower than Oklahoma's rate of incarceration. But if we did, the savings would be significant — more than $100 million annually. But Oklahoma is loathe to stoop to the national average. The history of corrections over the past 30 years shows that we'd rather be safe than sorry in spite of the fact that all this incarceration has not greatly reduced crime rates.
Pardon and Parole Board to Discuss Innocence of Former Inmate Next Month- November 26, 2009
Story written by BARBARA HOBEROCK with World Capital Bureau Published by The Tulsa World Thursday November 26, 2009 3:39 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY--- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is not prepared to determine cases of actual innocence, which the governor is asking it to do in the case of a former state inmate who is seeking to have his record expunged the board's chairwoman said. Gov. Brad Henry has asked the board to investigate the case of Gene Weatherly, whom Henry pardoned in 2007.
Weatherly said the forensic evidence used at his trail was discredited after he completed his sentence in 2002. He also cited problems with his prosecution and trial. Although he was pardoned , his name has not been cleared, said Weatherly, who lives in Hobart. Pardon and Parole Board spokeswoman Susan Loving said she wished the board was consulted before the decision was made for it to handle Weatherly's case.
This is huge now that we have this responsibility," she said. The board might need to seek money for the process through supplemental appropriation, Loving said. Pardon and Parole Board staff members have been directed to come up with a procedure for tackling such requests. " The Pardon and Parole Board is not a jury," said Terry Jenks, it's executive director. "We don't hear witnesses and evaluate evidence. We need to figure out some options about where we are going.
A law passed in 2008 allows a person to seek to have a conviction expunged if a person received a full pardon based on a written finding by the governor of actual innocence for the crime for witch the person was sentenced. another section of the law, dealing with lawsuits against the state, allows the Pardon and Parole Board to determine actual innocence. Weatherly said he wasn't;t suing the state.
An Oklahoma County jury convicted him in 1984 of stabbing an Oklahoma City woman, based in part of the testimony of fired Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist, who said mud and fibers on Weatherly's shoes proved that he had been in the victim's home. An FBI chemist said later that Gilchrist's findings were faulty. Henry said he was unable to render a definitive finding of innocence with the information that was provided to him.
He said the Pardon and Parole Board, which conducts investigations and holds parole hearings, might be better equipped to handle the job. "Given the history of the case, particularly the discredited forensic evidence, I certainly agree there are legitimate doubts about the conviction, "the governor said." That is one of the reasons i granted a pardon to Mr Weatherly. However, i did not feel the information before me definitively proved that the jury was wrong or that the conviction was based solely on discredited forensic evidence," he said.
It is my hope that the Pardon and Parole Board can make more headway in this case with its investigative abilities and hearing process. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater did not return a call seeking comment. Joe Reinke, an Oklahoma City Attorney, who help prosecute the case, noted that it also involved testimony from the victim.
The discredited forensic evidence is important in determining whether Weatherly got his fair day in court, Reinke said, but "Its not a difference maker on whether he committed the crime. Rink said he is pleased that people are working to try to do the right thing but that he has not lost sleep over the case." The Pardon and Parole Board is expected to discuss the issue next month. no date for an actual innocence has been set, Jenks said.
Visitation Update - November 24, 2009
The medium security offenders at OSR, DCCC and MACC are still on “lock down”. Telephone access and Visitation for these facilities has been cancelled through November 30. This affects only the medium security offenders at these three state facilities. On or shortly after November 30 the situation will be reassessed.
LCF – Visiting as normal, phones will be available.
CCF and DCF – No Visiting with a plan to reassess on Monday, November 30. Phone calls will be allowed on Saturday but limited to 10 minutes.
Greg Williams, Assistant Deputy Director
Field Op
Update from Justin Jones - Director - OK DOC - November 24, 2009
Want to update you all.
Justin Jones called me this morning, they will be keeping us inform as to what is happening. They will be meeting every morning over the holidays to stay on top of the lockdown.
We will be looking at dates to have face to face meeting in the next couple of weeks to talk about us working together on many issues.
If anyone is interested in attending let me know.
Lynn Powell President
Inquire Could Link Prison Fights to Case - November 24, 2009
FOUR REMAIN HOSPITALIZED
|
Inmates Hurt in Prison Disturbances - UPDATE -
Story by The Associated Press published by Tulsa World Monday November 23, 2009 3 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY----Four Oklahoma prison inmates remain hospitalized with stab wounds after fights broke out at three separate prisons. Department of Corrections Spokesman Jerry Massie says all four inmates from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite were in stable condition Monday.
Meanwhile,Massie says medium-security prisons across the state remain on lockdown status , which limits inmates movement inside the facilities A total of six inmates were transported to hospitals after fights erupted Saturday at the Granite prison, the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, and the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing
Maisie says the fights were between American Indian and Hispanic inmates and authorities believe the fights were coordinated..
INMATES HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCES - AP Nov 21, 2009
OK CURE Newsletter - Spring 2009 - see below
Oklahoma 2009 Legislature Get's Cracking
Cushing Lock Down
OK Cure Meetings Scheduled for Metro OKC & Tulsa
Lawton - Lock Down Release Phases
Visitation Update - Aug 16 & 17 - Dick Conner Correctional Institue
Lawton Visitation UPDATE - July 30, 2008
Latest News for Lawton - July 23, 2008
Visitation Shut Down - FAMILY ALERT - July 4th Weekend, 2008
Removing Governor from Parole Process - #1 Priority in Pole
Progarm Tries to Make Contact with Gangsters
Who we are, how we vote: 'Election Day' in America
5 of 8 Interim Studies Not Approved by Speaker of the House
DCCC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
"Lynn,
We wanted to make sure you are aware of the visitation changes at DCCC. Level 1's will be allowed to visit for 1 hour (non-contact) behind the glass starting Dec 25th. Quote from policy: "Level (I) offender- One hour non-contact visit per week with individuals on inmates approved visiting list."
MACC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
OSR
Visiting will return to normal beginning December 25, 2009.
CCF schedule:
Wednesday & Thursday, Dec.23-24 Level 1's by appointment for 1 hr. 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 25 Levels 2, 3, 4 2 hr limit 9a - 5p (available space restriction)
Saturday, Dec. 26 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names A - L 9a - 5p
Sunday, Dec. 27 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names M - Z 9a - 5p
Lawton CF schedule:
Visiting will be as follows:
December 25, 26 and 27 levels 2, 3 and 4, accept those in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) with available space being the only restriction.
December 28 and 29 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis CF schedule:
From 24th - 29th;; 9a -7p
A-K visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Thurs, Fri., or Sat.
L - Z visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Sun, Mon, and Tue.
Included is a holiday observance for visitation. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to visit by appointment. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to inform their families of the appointment.
Visitation Update for Weekend - December 19 & 20, 2009
DCCC:
2 hour visits allowed for levels 2, 3, and 4;
MACC:
2 hour visits for levels 2, 3, and 4;
OSR:
Visiting will be allowed for all level 2, level 3 and level 4 offenders
available space being the only restriction on time.
Cimoron Correctional Facility
Level 2's on Friday (Dec 18), Levels 3 & 4 on Saturday & Sunday 9-5.
All visits will be limited to 2 hours
Lawton Correctional Facility
December 19-20 Level 2, 3, and 4 with available space being the only restriction.
December 21 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis Correctional Facility
Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Only Levels 2, 3 and Level 4 inmates will be allowed to visit.
Visits will be limited to 2 hours per visit.
Offenders last names A-K may visit on Friday and Saturday.
Offenders last names L-Z may visit on Sunday and Monday
Three Day Symposium - Criminal Justice Reform
Tuesday, December 15 through Thursday, December 17
Hosted by Senator Constance Johnson and Representative Sue Tibbs
Meetings are held at the Senate Chamber
Tuesday:
Wednesday
Thursday
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
Justice Center - The Council of State GovernmentsDecember 15, 2009
For Immediate Release
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
New York—The House and Senate have passed an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3288) for the remainder of fiscal year 2010 that includes funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill provides $114 million to the Department of Justice for prisoner reentry, including $14 million for reentry initiatives in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $100 million for Second Chance Act programs, including
- $37 million for reentry demonstration projects under Sec. 101 of the Second Chance Act
- $15 million for mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations under Sec. 211
- $10 million for reentry courts under Sec. 111
- $7.5 million for family-based substance abuse treatment under Sec. 113
- $2.5 million for grants to evaluate and improve education in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities under Sec. 114
- $5 million for technology careers training demonstration grants under Sec. 115
- $13 million for reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration under Sec. 201
- $10 million for reentry research under Sec. 245
The omnibus bill also provides $108,493,000 to the Department of Labor for ex-offender activities under the Second Chance Act and the Workforce Investment Act, including $15 million for a transitional jobs grant program. The bill also includes funding for the following programs:
- $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
- $10 million for a justice reinvestment grant program, which will provide technical assistance, incentive grants, and other activities in support of comprehensive, evidence-based criminal justice reform and recidivism-reduction efforts by states
- $519 million for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
- $40 million for the Byrne Competitive Grant Program
- $45 million for drug courts
- $330 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)
- $30 million for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
- $1.7986 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant
- $202.2 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
- $454.63 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, including $67.6 million for programs in CSAT's Criminal Justice portfolio
- $1.0598 billion for the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- $1.4894 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health
- $462.35 million for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
Visitation Updates - Weekend December 12 & 13
As it stands today:
OSR
Level 3 & 4 Medium Security offenders and all Minimum Security - regular visiting hours
MACC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
DCC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
Lawton C.F.
1. Levels 3 & 4 - at the number hours policy
2. No offender housed in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) will be allowed visits.
3. Protective Custody - normal visitation
Cimarron C.F.
Levels 3 & 4 - 2 hour visits
Oklahoma City Lawmaker Wants Governor Eventually Removed from Parole Process
- December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City lawmaker on Tuesday said she will introduce legislation to eventually remove the governor from the parole process.
Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, said her measure would make a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board be approved if the governor failed to act on it within 30 days. However, the governor would still be involved in the process for heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, she said.
Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, had filed similar legislation in the past. It passed the House, but it did not get heard in the Senate, Johnson said.
Johnson said her legislation would allow for a trial period and then put the issue of removing the governor entirely from the process to a vote of the people, something which voters have not approved in the past.
But Johnson said there is growing momentum for removing the governor from the process. "As it is, Oklahoma is the only remaining state where the governor is involved in the parole process," Johnson said.
The Board of Corrections supports removing the governor from the process as a means to reduce incarceration rates.
John Pearson, chairman of Citizens for Responsible Parole, said the state's current budget crisis will give lawmakers the "cover" they need to vote for Johnson's bill.
State agencies have been told to reduce budgets by 5 percent through the remainder of the fiscal year, with deeper cuts possible, as a result of a significant decline in state revenue.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has a budget of about half a billion dollars, yet the agency is still severely underfunded, Pearson said.
Pearson said there is widespread support for removing the governor from the parole process.
Adviser: Juveniles' Sentences Too Long - December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — Too many juveniles are at state facilities and serve longer sentences than in other states, according to an expert on juvenile justice.
Bobbie Huskey, president of Chicago-based Huskey and Associates, said the state could save up to $4.4 million a year by reducing the number of juveniles in secure facilities and placing them in staff-secure group homes.
She was hired by the Office of Juvenile Affairs as a consultant and issued a report to the Board of Juvenile Affairs on Friday.
Huskey is a juvenile justice reform consultant to 33 states and is the past president of the American Correctional Association.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is 14.7 months or 1.2 years," she said. "This compares to six to 12 months the most frequently reported average length of stays by 53 percent of the states reporting," Huskey said.
Low-risk males spend more time in institutions than high-risk males, she said.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is not associated with risk to re-offend level or by age," she said. "Immaturity, lack of motivation, effects of institutionalization, fear of returning home and staff's response to youth's behaviors are some of the factors for the extended length of stay," she said.
She said there is a potential pool of offenders who could benefit from a lower level of care.
Huskey said the state's three secure facilities are not equipped to separate adolescents from adults or highly violent offenders from non-violent youth. Nationally accepted practices do not permit the mixing of such groups, she said.
In addition, many living units at state facilities do not meet standards, Huskey said.
The agency has no standards for frequency of treatment hours per week at the facilities, she said. But national guidelines call for five hours a week of individual or group treatment, Huskey said.
"Five times more black youth are confined in secure institutions compared to the state's youth population, documenting disproportionate confinement of these youth," she said.
She said OJA needs a special reintegration program to help offenders at facilities be successful when they complete their stay.
In the next few months, the agency expects to present the board with a plan to implement her suggestions and find solutions for the problems mentioned, said Gene Christian, Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director.
"The first thing to work on is the length of stay," Christian said.
Update on Visitation - December 3, 2009 - for the weekend of December 5-6
I have been advise that there will NOT be any visiting this weekend at Granite, Hominy or Stringtown, OR at the 3 privates - Cushing, Holdenville and Lawton.
They will advise again next week as to whether anyone will be allow to visit next weekend. Those that have been doing time for a while will remember that during the lockdowns in the summer of '08, after a couple of weeks, inmates of a certain level or living in certain pods got to start to have visiting before visiting was open back up to everyone. My guess is that it would stand to reason to happen again with this lockdown.
But as always we will keep everyone advise as soon as we have any news.
Lynn, President OK CURE
Parole Plea - Legislature Should Weight Policy Change - December 3, 2009 - Oklahoman Editorial
Would Oklahomans vote to remove the governor from the parole process? It's a rhetorical question, because voters aren't likely to get that opportunity any time soon.
The Legislature must first approve sending such a question to a vote of the people. The chances of that happening are remote. Most members, particularly the Republican-controlled leadership, are content with the status quo, and Democratic Gov. Brad Henry hasn't been campaigning for a change in procedure.
Oklahoma remains the only state that requires its governor to sign off on every parole request. That comes at a cost. A 2007 audit of the Department of Corrections estimated that removing the governor from the process would save roughly $40 million over 10 years.
The same audit, authorized by lawmakers at a cost of more than $800,000, said an increase in the number of offenders who must serve 85 percent of their time before being eligible for parole, combined with the state's low parole rate, would naturally lead to growth in an inmate population that already has prisons brimming.
The Board of Corrections, citing the ongoing budget crunch, is urging lawmakers to look again at removing the governor from the parole process. We believe it makes sense to do so for all but the most heinous crimes. Otherwise why have the Pardon and Parole Board spend so much time each month vetting cases?
Voters shouldn't have to worry about it, though. As much as they should, this is one area where legislators are unlikely to budge, sour economy or not.
Tulsa DA's Office Pulling Out of Case-expediting Program - November 29, 2009 - Tulsa World - by Bill Braun - World Staff Writer
A procedure designed to expedite criminal cases of nonviolent offenders through the Tulsa County court system is coming to a halt, following District Attorney Tim Harris' announcement that he is pulling out of the program.
Citing budget concerns, Harris notified court officials that effective in January, the assistant district attorney who has handled the Accelerated Accountability Procedure docket will focus on duties on other dockets.
Proponents of the accelerated accountability program are concerned that this will affect the county's Community Sentencing program, which attempts to rehabilitate offenders on probation with the assistance of supervision, sanctions, treatment and education.
"We are not abandoning community sentencing," First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond said. READ MORE>>
Officials Wonder if Attack is Linked to Others at Prison - December 1, 2009 - The Oklahoman - by Johnny Johnson, Staff Writer for OPUBCO
LAWTON---Investigators are trying to determine if a prison attack Saturday may be tied to a series of coordinated prison fights that took place a week earlier between Hispanic and American Indian prisoners. In the latest attack, Lawton police said Saturday that two inmates at the Lawton Correctional Center were attacked by two other inmates wielding homemade hatchets and knives. The injured inmates were taken by ambulance to a Lawton hospital, and one of the men required surgery.
The private prison is owned by Florida-based GEO Group Inc., which on Monday referred questions to Lawton police. Calls to Lawton police detectives Monday were not returned. A Lawton television station reported that two American Indian inmates attacked two Hispanic inmates.
Last week, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said he had heard the initial prison gang fights stemmed from the arrest of an American Indian Man accused of shooting, stabbing and burning three women and a Hispanic man at a southwest Oklahoma City house on Nov.9.
David Allen Tyner faces six counts of first-degree murder in connection with deaths which included Casey Barrientos a 32-year-old man he once worked for as a bodyguard, along with three women and two unborn children. CONTRIBUTING : THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Correction Official Urges Reform Plan - December 1, 2009 - World Capital Bureau - by Barbara Hoberock
The Department of Corrections is approaching its breaking point, said David Hanneke, a board of Corrections member. Henneke, chairman of the board's legislative committee, asked in a Nov 23 letter to lawmakers for reconsideration of a number of previously discarded proposals to reduce the agency's costs. "We are thinking that maybe with the economic times the way they are, maybe some of the things may have a better chance." Hanneke said.
The board suggests removing the governor from the parole process. Previous efforts to change the process have failed. A recent audit projected that a 30 percent parole approval rate would result in a stagnant if not declining prison population, the letter says. "At the time of the audit, the governor was approving 18.98 percent of those considered for parole," the letter says.
The audit suggested that the state could save $40.7 million over 10 years by eliminating the governor from the parole process, the letter says. However, such a move would require voter approval, something which has failed in the past. Henneke said in the letter that while we are reducing our budget by an annualized 5 percent ($22,650,000) we are currently experiencing a supplemental need of approximately $6 million just for the net offender growth.
There are also over 1,600 offenders in county jails, sentenced and awaiting arrival to the department." The board is also suggesting restarting an early release program for nonviolent offenders who are within 60 days of release when the prison population has been at 95 percent of capacity for 30 days.
"In the past, we have had disagreements with the board on the definition of nonviolent," said Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said "I do not favor early release as a cost control measure." Terrill is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.
The board is also suggesting reducing the percentage of time an inmate must serve for certain crimes before the offender can be considered for parole to 65 percent. Such a move would mean offenders who committed those crimes would be supervised on parole rather than released to the streets with no supervision, Hanneke said.
Terrill said the agency has been productive in reducing its budget but that he is concerned about the prospects of furloughing agency staff. Many of the proposals may result in savings in the long run, but not in the short term, he said. "If there is no relief in appropriations or staffing and the Department of Corrections is forced to do some furloughs, then i see no alternative but to make a public call for a lockdown at the facilities during that period of time," Terrill said.
A year ago, shortly before the recession kicked the stool out from under state revenues, Oklahoma Academy researchers asked what it would take to put Oklahoma at the national average in incarceration rates.
This is what it would take: The immediate release of 9,000 inmates, including half the women behind bars.
Don't worry, we're not about to reach the national average, which is at least three percentage points lower than Oklahoma's rate of incarceration. But if we did, the savings would be significant — more than $100 million annually. But Oklahoma is loathe to stoop to the national average. The history of corrections over the past 30 years shows that we'd rather be safe than sorry in spite of the fact that all this incarceration has not greatly reduced crime rates.
Pardon and Parole Board to Discuss Innocence of Former Inmate Next Month- November 26, 2009
Story written by BARBARA HOBEROCK with World Capital Bureau Published by The Tulsa World Thursday November 26, 2009 3:39 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY--- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is not prepared to determine cases of actual innocence, which the governor is asking it to do in the case of a former state inmate who is seeking to have his record expunged the board's chairwoman said. Gov. Brad Henry has asked the board to investigate the case of Gene Weatherly, whom Henry pardoned in 2007.
Weatherly said the forensic evidence used at his trail was discredited after he completed his sentence in 2002. He also cited problems with his prosecution and trial. Although he was pardoned , his name has not been cleared, said Weatherly, who lives in Hobart. Pardon and Parole Board spokeswoman Susan Loving said she wished the board was consulted before the decision was made for it to handle Weatherly's case.
This is huge now that we have this responsibility," she said. The board might need to seek money for the process through supplemental appropriation, Loving said. Pardon and Parole Board staff members have been directed to come up with a procedure for tackling such requests. " The Pardon and Parole Board is not a jury," said Terry Jenks, it's executive director. "We don't hear witnesses and evaluate evidence. We need to figure out some options about where we are going.
A law passed in 2008 allows a person to seek to have a conviction expunged if a person received a full pardon based on a written finding by the governor of actual innocence for the crime for witch the person was sentenced. another section of the law, dealing with lawsuits against the state, allows the Pardon and Parole Board to determine actual innocence. Weatherly said he wasn't;t suing the state.
An Oklahoma County jury convicted him in 1984 of stabbing an Oklahoma City woman, based in part of the testimony of fired Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist, who said mud and fibers on Weatherly's shoes proved that he had been in the victim's home. An FBI chemist said later that Gilchrist's findings were faulty. Henry said he was unable to render a definitive finding of innocence with the information that was provided to him.
He said the Pardon and Parole Board, which conducts investigations and holds parole hearings, might be better equipped to handle the job. "Given the history of the case, particularly the discredited forensic evidence, I certainly agree there are legitimate doubts about the conviction, "the governor said." That is one of the reasons i granted a pardon to Mr Weatherly. However, i did not feel the information before me definitively proved that the jury was wrong or that the conviction was based solely on discredited forensic evidence," he said.
It is my hope that the Pardon and Parole Board can make more headway in this case with its investigative abilities and hearing process. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater did not return a call seeking comment. Joe Reinke, an Oklahoma City Attorney, who help prosecute the case, noted that it also involved testimony from the victim.
The discredited forensic evidence is important in determining whether Weatherly got his fair day in court, Reinke said, but "Its not a difference maker on whether he committed the crime. Rink said he is pleased that people are working to try to do the right thing but that he has not lost sleep over the case." The Pardon and Parole Board is expected to discuss the issue next month. no date for an actual innocence has been set, Jenks said.
Visitation Update - November 24, 2009
The medium security offenders at OSR, DCCC and MACC are still on “lock down”. Telephone access and Visitation for these facilities has been cancelled through November 30. This affects only the medium security offenders at these three state facilities. On or shortly after November 30 the situation will be reassessed.
LCF – Visiting as normal, phones will be available.
CCF and DCF – No Visiting with a plan to reassess on Monday, November 30. Phone calls will be allowed on Saturday but limited to 10 minutes.
Greg Williams, Assistant Deputy Director
Field Op
Update from Justin Jones - Director - OK DOC - November 24, 2009
Want to update you all.
Justin Jones called me this morning, they will be keeping us inform as to what is happening. They will be meeting every morning over the holidays to stay on top of the lockdown.
We will be looking at dates to have face to face meeting in the next couple of weeks to talk about us working together on many issues.
If anyone is interested in attending let me know.
Lynn Powell President
Inquire Could Link Prison Fights to Case - November 24, 2009
FOUR REMAIN HOSPITALIZED
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Inmates Hurt in Prison Disturbances - UPDATE -
Story by The Associated Press published by Tulsa World Monday November 23, 2009 3 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY----Four Oklahoma prison inmates remain hospitalized with stab wounds after fights broke out at three separate prisons. Department of Corrections Spokesman Jerry Massie says all four inmates from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite were in stable condition Monday.
Meanwhile,Massie says medium-security prisons across the state remain on lockdown status , which limits inmates movement inside the facilities A total of six inmates were transported to hospitals after fights erupted Saturday at the Granite prison, the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, and the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing
Maisie says the fights were between American Indian and Hispanic inmates and authorities believe the fights were coordinated..
INMATES HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCES - AP Nov 21, 2009
OK CURE Newsletter - Spring 2009 - see below
Oklahoma 2009 Legislature Get's Cracking
Cushing Lock Down
OK Cure Meetings Scheduled for Metro OKC & Tulsa
Lawton - Lock Down Release Phases
Visitation Update - Aug 16 & 17 - Dick Conner Correctional Institue
Lawton Visitation UPDATE - July 30, 2008
Latest News for Lawton - July 23, 2008
Visitation Shut Down - FAMILY ALERT - July 4th Weekend, 2008
Removing Governor from Parole Process - #1 Priority in Pole
Progarm Tries to Make Contact with Gangsters
Who we are, how we vote: 'Election Day' in America
5 of 8 Interim Studies Not Approved by Speaker of the House
For Terri White, the math isn't;t difficult or fuzzy. Oklahomans' inability to receive the mental health and substance abuse treatment they need only increases the burden on the criminal justice system. In Rocky budget times, that leaves lawmakers with an important choice. Will they consider mental health and substance abuse services -- the agency White oversees __ as an offshoot of public safety entitled to some measure of budget protection?
Or will these services face the potential drastic that are likely to hit other so called nonessential services of state government? The answer, White believes, will say much about where the state is in its understanding of brain health. That's hardly the only question facing legislators.But it is an important one. Because as hard as mental health officials have worked in recent years to destigmatize mental illness and substance abuse, drastically reducing the availability of treatment services for Oklahomans who can't afford it on their own could easily undo that process.
Not all who suffer from mental illness or addictions are prone to violence. But it only takes one horrific crime -- think the Nichols Hills doctor with a history of mental problems accused of killing his son -- to convince those suffering that they might be ostracized for seeking treatment. For some, a choice to forgo treatment would be dangerous not only for themselves but those around them. "These are the things that can shake communities and their perceptions of mental illness," White said, noting that more than 600 Oklahomans are on a daily waiting list to receive state -funded services.
Families also can fall victim to reduced treatment services, when mentally ill or drug addicted parents can't get the help they need to keep a family together and children are neglected or abused. White and Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones agree that diversionary programs such as mental health and substance abuse treatment not only are good for Oklahomans but cost less in the long run. Drug and mental health courts that keep non-violent offenders out of prisons are proof of that.
Even more cost effective are treatment programs that help keep Oklahomans from ever coming in contact with law enforcement, and prevent further burdening prisons with Oklahomans, unquenchable lock--'em--up attitude. In fact, the link between corrections and mental health and substance abuse treatment is so strong that lawmakers should seriously consider a new way for those agencies to function in the future. Now, the Corrections Department handles it's own treatment services within prisons.
It could make more sense to let the mental health agency and its experts expand services into prisons and let corrections officials focus on their core job -- keeping the bad guys behind bars. Some lawmakers have recognized the budget crisis as an opportunity to take a fresh look at government. Here's a chance to show they mean it.
Visitation Update for Weekend - December 25-27, 2009
DCCC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
"Lynn,
We wanted to make sure you are aware of the visitation changes at DCCC. Level 1's will be allowed to visit for 1 hour (non-contact) behind the glass starting Dec 25th. Quote from policy: "Level (I) offender- One hour non-contact visit per week with individuals on inmates approved visiting list."
MACC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
OSR
Visiting will return to normal beginning December 25, 2009.
CCF schedule:
Wednesday & Thursday, Dec.23-24 Level 1's by appointment for 1 hr. 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 25 Levels 2, 3, 4 2 hr limit 9a - 5p (available space restriction)
Saturday, Dec. 26 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names A - L 9a - 5p
Sunday, Dec. 27 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names M - Z 9a - 5p
Lawton CF schedule:
Visiting will be as follows:
December 25, 26 and 27 levels 2, 3 and 4, accept those in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) with available space being the only restriction.
December 28 and 29 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis CF schedule:
From 24th - 29th;; 9a -7p
A-K visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Thurs, Fri., or Sat.
L - Z visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Sun, Mon, and Tue.
Included is a holiday observance for visitation. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to visit by appointment. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to inform their families of the appointment.
Visitation Update for Weekend - December 19 & 20, 2009
DCCC:
2 hour visits allowed for levels 2, 3, and 4;
MACC:
2 hour visits for levels 2, 3, and 4;
OSR:
Visiting will be allowed for all level 2, level 3 and level 4 offenders
available space being the only restriction on time.
Cimoron Correctional Facility
Level 2's on Friday (Dec 18), Levels 3 & 4 on Saturday & Sunday 9-5.
All visits will be limited to 2 hours
Lawton Correctional Facility
December 19-20 Level 2, 3, and 4 with available space being the only restriction.
December 21 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis Correctional Facility
Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Only Levels 2, 3 and Level 4 inmates will be allowed to visit.
Visits will be limited to 2 hours per visit.
Offenders last names A-K may visit on Friday and Saturday.
Offenders last names L-Z may visit on Sunday and Monday
Three Day Symposium - Criminal Justice Reform
Tuesday, December 15 through Thursday, December 17
Hosted by Senator Constance Johnson and Representative Sue Tibbs
Meetings are held at the Senate Chamber
Tuesday:
Wednesday
Thursday
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
Justice Center - The Council of State GovernmentsDecember 15, 2009
For Immediate Release
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
New York—The House and Senate have passed an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3288) for the remainder of fiscal year 2010 that includes funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill provides $114 million to the Department of Justice for prisoner reentry, including $14 million for reentry initiatives in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $100 million for Second Chance Act programs, including
- $37 million for reentry demonstration projects under Sec. 101 of the Second Chance Act
- $15 million for mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations under Sec. 211
- $10 million for reentry courts under Sec. 111
- $7.5 million for family-based substance abuse treatment under Sec. 113
- $2.5 million for grants to evaluate and improve education in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities under Sec. 114
- $5 million for technology careers training demonstration grants under Sec. 115
- $13 million for reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration under Sec. 201
- $10 million for reentry research under Sec. 245
The omnibus bill also provides $108,493,000 to the Department of Labor for ex-offender activities under the Second Chance Act and the Workforce Investment Act, including $15 million for a transitional jobs grant program. The bill also includes funding for the following programs:
- $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
- $10 million for a justice reinvestment grant program, which will provide technical assistance, incentive grants, and other activities in support of comprehensive, evidence-based criminal justice reform and recidivism-reduction efforts by states
- $519 million for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
- $40 million for the Byrne Competitive Grant Program
- $45 million for drug courts
- $330 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)
- $30 million for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
- $1.7986 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant
- $202.2 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
- $454.63 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, including $67.6 million for programs in CSAT's Criminal Justice portfolio
- $1.0598 billion for the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- $1.4894 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health
- $462.35 million for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
Visitation Updates - Weekend December 12 & 13
As it stands today:
OSR
Level 3 & 4 Medium Security offenders and all Minimum Security - regular visiting hours
MACC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
DCC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
Lawton C.F.
1. Levels 3 & 4 - at the number hours policy
2. No offender housed in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) will be allowed visits.
3. Protective Custody - normal visitation
Cimarron C.F.
Levels 3 & 4 - 2 hour visits
Oklahoma City Lawmaker Wants Governor Eventually Removed from Parole Process
- December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City lawmaker on Tuesday said she will introduce legislation to eventually remove the governor from the parole process.
Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, said her measure would make a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board be approved if the governor failed to act on it within 30 days. However, the governor would still be involved in the process for heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, she said.
Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, had filed similar legislation in the past. It passed the House, but it did not get heard in the Senate, Johnson said.
Johnson said her legislation would allow for a trial period and then put the issue of removing the governor entirely from the process to a vote of the people, something which voters have not approved in the past.
But Johnson said there is growing momentum for removing the governor from the process. "As it is, Oklahoma is the only remaining state where the governor is involved in the parole process," Johnson said.
The Board of Corrections supports removing the governor from the process as a means to reduce incarceration rates.
John Pearson, chairman of Citizens for Responsible Parole, said the state's current budget crisis will give lawmakers the "cover" they need to vote for Johnson's bill.
State agencies have been told to reduce budgets by 5 percent through the remainder of the fiscal year, with deeper cuts possible, as a result of a significant decline in state revenue.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has a budget of about half a billion dollars, yet the agency is still severely underfunded, Pearson said.
Pearson said there is widespread support for removing the governor from the parole process.
Adviser: Juveniles' Sentences Too Long - December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — Too many juveniles are at state facilities and serve longer sentences than in other states, according to an expert on juvenile justice.
Bobbie Huskey, president of Chicago-based Huskey and Associates, said the state could save up to $4.4 million a year by reducing the number of juveniles in secure facilities and placing them in staff-secure group homes.
She was hired by the Office of Juvenile Affairs as a consultant and issued a report to the Board of Juvenile Affairs on Friday.
Huskey is a juvenile justice reform consultant to 33 states and is the past president of the American Correctional Association.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is 14.7 months or 1.2 years," she said. "This compares to six to 12 months the most frequently reported average length of stays by 53 percent of the states reporting," Huskey said.
Low-risk males spend more time in institutions than high-risk males, she said.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is not associated with risk to re-offend level or by age," she said. "Immaturity, lack of motivation, effects of institutionalization, fear of returning home and staff's response to youth's behaviors are some of the factors for the extended length of stay," she said.
She said there is a potential pool of offenders who could benefit from a lower level of care.
Huskey said the state's three secure facilities are not equipped to separate adolescents from adults or highly violent offenders from non-violent youth. Nationally accepted practices do not permit the mixing of such groups, she said.
In addition, many living units at state facilities do not meet standards, Huskey said.
The agency has no standards for frequency of treatment hours per week at the facilities, she said. But national guidelines call for five hours a week of individual or group treatment, Huskey said.
"Five times more black youth are confined in secure institutions compared to the state's youth population, documenting disproportionate confinement of these youth," she said.
She said OJA needs a special reintegration program to help offenders at facilities be successful when they complete their stay.
In the next few months, the agency expects to present the board with a plan to implement her suggestions and find solutions for the problems mentioned, said Gene Christian, Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director.
"The first thing to work on is the length of stay," Christian said.
Update on Visitation - December 3, 2009 - for the weekend of December 5-6
I have been advise that there will NOT be any visiting this weekend at Granite, Hominy or Stringtown, OR at the 3 privates - Cushing, Holdenville and Lawton.
They will advise again next week as to whether anyone will be allow to visit next weekend. Those that have been doing time for a while will remember that during the lockdowns in the summer of '08, after a couple of weeks, inmates of a certain level or living in certain pods got to start to have visiting before visiting was open back up to everyone. My guess is that it would stand to reason to happen again with this lockdown.
But as always we will keep everyone advise as soon as we have any news.
Lynn, President OK CURE
Parole Plea - Legislature Should Weight Policy Change - December 3, 2009 - Oklahoman Editorial
Would Oklahomans vote to remove the governor from the parole process? It's a rhetorical question, because voters aren't likely to get that opportunity any time soon.
The Legislature must first approve sending such a question to a vote of the people. The chances of that happening are remote. Most members, particularly the Republican-controlled leadership, are content with the status quo, and Democratic Gov. Brad Henry hasn't been campaigning for a change in procedure.
Oklahoma remains the only state that requires its governor to sign off on every parole request. That comes at a cost. A 2007 audit of the Department of Corrections estimated that removing the governor from the process would save roughly $40 million over 10 years.
The same audit, authorized by lawmakers at a cost of more than $800,000, said an increase in the number of offenders who must serve 85 percent of their time before being eligible for parole, combined with the state's low parole rate, would naturally lead to growth in an inmate population that already has prisons brimming.
The Board of Corrections, citing the ongoing budget crunch, is urging lawmakers to look again at removing the governor from the parole process. We believe it makes sense to do so for all but the most heinous crimes. Otherwise why have the Pardon and Parole Board spend so much time each month vetting cases?
Voters shouldn't have to worry about it, though. As much as they should, this is one area where legislators are unlikely to budge, sour economy or not.
Tulsa DA's Office Pulling Out of Case-expediting Program - November 29, 2009 - Tulsa World - by Bill Braun - World Staff Writer
A procedure designed to expedite criminal cases of nonviolent offenders through the Tulsa County court system is coming to a halt, following District Attorney Tim Harris' announcement that he is pulling out of the program.
Citing budget concerns, Harris notified court officials that effective in January, the assistant district attorney who has handled the Accelerated Accountability Procedure docket will focus on duties on other dockets.
Proponents of the accelerated accountability program are concerned that this will affect the county's Community Sentencing program, which attempts to rehabilitate offenders on probation with the assistance of supervision, sanctions, treatment and education.
"We are not abandoning community sentencing," First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond said. READ MORE>>
Officials Wonder if Attack is Linked to Others at Prison - December 1, 2009 - The Oklahoman - by Johnny Johnson, Staff Writer for OPUBCO
LAWTON---Investigators are trying to determine if a prison attack Saturday may be tied to a series of coordinated prison fights that took place a week earlier between Hispanic and American Indian prisoners. In the latest attack, Lawton police said Saturday that two inmates at the Lawton Correctional Center were attacked by two other inmates wielding homemade hatchets and knives. The injured inmates were taken by ambulance to a Lawton hospital, and one of the men required surgery.
The private prison is owned by Florida-based GEO Group Inc., which on Monday referred questions to Lawton police. Calls to Lawton police detectives Monday were not returned. A Lawton television station reported that two American Indian inmates attacked two Hispanic inmates.
Last week, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said he had heard the initial prison gang fights stemmed from the arrest of an American Indian Man accused of shooting, stabbing and burning three women and a Hispanic man at a southwest Oklahoma City house on Nov.9.
David Allen Tyner faces six counts of first-degree murder in connection with deaths which included Casey Barrientos a 32-year-old man he once worked for as a bodyguard, along with three women and two unborn children. CONTRIBUTING : THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Correction Official Urges Reform Plan - December 1, 2009 - World Capital Bureau - by Barbara Hoberock
The Department of Corrections is approaching its breaking point, said David Hanneke, a board of Corrections member. Henneke, chairman of the board's legislative committee, asked in a Nov 23 letter to lawmakers for reconsideration of a number of previously discarded proposals to reduce the agency's costs. "We are thinking that maybe with the economic times the way they are, maybe some of the things may have a better chance." Hanneke said.
The board suggests removing the governor from the parole process. Previous efforts to change the process have failed. A recent audit projected that a 30 percent parole approval rate would result in a stagnant if not declining prison population, the letter says. "At the time of the audit, the governor was approving 18.98 percent of those considered for parole," the letter says.
The audit suggested that the state could save $40.7 million over 10 years by eliminating the governor from the parole process, the letter says. However, such a move would require voter approval, something which has failed in the past. Henneke said in the letter that while we are reducing our budget by an annualized 5 percent ($22,650,000) we are currently experiencing a supplemental need of approximately $6 million just for the net offender growth.
There are also over 1,600 offenders in county jails, sentenced and awaiting arrival to the department." The board is also suggesting restarting an early release program for nonviolent offenders who are within 60 days of release when the prison population has been at 95 percent of capacity for 30 days.
"In the past, we have had disagreements with the board on the definition of nonviolent," said Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said "I do not favor early release as a cost control measure." Terrill is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.
The board is also suggesting reducing the percentage of time an inmate must serve for certain crimes before the offender can be considered for parole to 65 percent. Such a move would mean offenders who committed those crimes would be supervised on parole rather than released to the streets with no supervision, Hanneke said.
Terrill said the agency has been productive in reducing its budget but that he is concerned about the prospects of furloughing agency staff. Many of the proposals may result in savings in the long run, but not in the short term, he said. "If there is no relief in appropriations or staffing and the Department of Corrections is forced to do some furloughs, then i see no alternative but to make a public call for a lockdown at the facilities during that period of time," Terrill said.
A year ago, shortly before the recession kicked the stool out from under state revenues, Oklahoma Academy researchers asked what it would take to put Oklahoma at the national average in incarceration rates.
This is what it would take: The immediate release of 9,000 inmates, including half the women behind bars.
Don't worry, we're not about to reach the national average, which is at least three percentage points lower than Oklahoma's rate of incarceration. But if we did, the savings would be significant — more than $100 million annually. But Oklahoma is loathe to stoop to the national average. The history of corrections over the past 30 years shows that we'd rather be safe than sorry in spite of the fact that all this incarceration has not greatly reduced crime rates.
Pardon and Parole Board to Discuss Innocence of Former Inmate Next Month- November 26, 2009
Story written by BARBARA HOBEROCK with World Capital Bureau Published by The Tulsa World Thursday November 26, 2009 3:39 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY--- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is not prepared to determine cases of actual innocence, which the governor is asking it to do in the case of a former state inmate who is seeking to have his record expunged the board's chairwoman said. Gov. Brad Henry has asked the board to investigate the case of Gene Weatherly, whom Henry pardoned in 2007.
Weatherly said the forensic evidence used at his trail was discredited after he completed his sentence in 2002. He also cited problems with his prosecution and trial. Although he was pardoned , his name has not been cleared, said Weatherly, who lives in Hobart. Pardon and Parole Board spokeswoman Susan Loving said she wished the board was consulted before the decision was made for it to handle Weatherly's case.
This is huge now that we have this responsibility," she said. The board might need to seek money for the process through supplemental appropriation, Loving said. Pardon and Parole Board staff members have been directed to come up with a procedure for tackling such requests. " The Pardon and Parole Board is not a jury," said Terry Jenks, it's executive director. "We don't hear witnesses and evaluate evidence. We need to figure out some options about where we are going.
A law passed in 2008 allows a person to seek to have a conviction expunged if a person received a full pardon based on a written finding by the governor of actual innocence for the crime for witch the person was sentenced. another section of the law, dealing with lawsuits against the state, allows the Pardon and Parole Board to determine actual innocence. Weatherly said he wasn't;t suing the state.
An Oklahoma County jury convicted him in 1984 of stabbing an Oklahoma City woman, based in part of the testimony of fired Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist, who said mud and fibers on Weatherly's shoes proved that he had been in the victim's home. An FBI chemist said later that Gilchrist's findings were faulty. Henry said he was unable to render a definitive finding of innocence with the information that was provided to him.
He said the Pardon and Parole Board, which conducts investigations and holds parole hearings, might be better equipped to handle the job. "Given the history of the case, particularly the discredited forensic evidence, I certainly agree there are legitimate doubts about the conviction, "the governor said." That is one of the reasons i granted a pardon to Mr Weatherly. However, i did not feel the information before me definitively proved that the jury was wrong or that the conviction was based solely on discredited forensic evidence," he said.
It is my hope that the Pardon and Parole Board can make more headway in this case with its investigative abilities and hearing process. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater did not return a call seeking comment. Joe Reinke, an Oklahoma City Attorney, who help prosecute the case, noted that it also involved testimony from the victim.
The discredited forensic evidence is important in determining whether Weatherly got his fair day in court, Reinke said, but "Its not a difference maker on whether he committed the crime. Rink said he is pleased that people are working to try to do the right thing but that he has not lost sleep over the case." The Pardon and Parole Board is expected to discuss the issue next month. no date for an actual innocence has been set, Jenks said.
Visitation Update - November 24, 2009
The medium security offenders at OSR, DCCC and MACC are still on “lock down”. Telephone access and Visitation for these facilities has been cancelled through November 30. This affects only the medium security offenders at these three state facilities. On or shortly after November 30 the situation will be reassessed.
LCF – Visiting as normal, phones will be available.
CCF and DCF – No Visiting with a plan to reassess on Monday, November 30. Phone calls will be allowed on Saturday but limited to 10 minutes.
Greg Williams, Assistant Deputy Director
Field Op
Update from Justin Jones - Director - OK DOC - November 24, 2009
Want to update you all.
Justin Jones called me this morning, they will be keeping us inform as to what is happening. They will be meeting every morning over the holidays to stay on top of the lockdown.
We will be looking at dates to have face to face meeting in the next couple of weeks to talk about us working together on many issues.
If anyone is interested in attending let me know.
Lynn Powell President
Inquire Could Link Prison Fights to Case - November 24, 2009
FOUR REMAIN HOSPITALIZED
|
Inmates Hurt in Prison Disturbances - UPDATE -
Story by The Associated Press published by Tulsa World Monday November 23, 2009 3 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY----Four Oklahoma prison inmates remain hospitalized with stab wounds after fights broke out at three separate prisons. Department of Corrections Spokesman Jerry Massie says all four inmates from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite were in stable condition Monday.
Meanwhile,Massie says medium-security prisons across the state remain on lockdown status , which limits inmates movement inside the facilities A total of six inmates were transported to hospitals after fights erupted Saturday at the Granite prison, the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, and the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing
Maisie says the fights were between American Indian and Hispanic inmates and authorities believe the fights were coordinated..
INMATES HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCES - AP Nov 21, 2009
OK CURE Newsletter - Spring 2009 - see below
Oklahoma 2009 Legislature Get's Cracking
Cushing Lock Down
OK Cure Meetings Scheduled for Metro OKC & Tulsa
Lawton - Lock Down Release Phases
Visitation Update - Aug 16 & 17 - Dick Conner Correctional Institue
Lawton Visitation UPDATE - July 30, 2008
Latest News for Lawton - July 23, 2008
Visitation Shut Down - FAMILY ALERT - July 4th Weekend, 2008
Removing Governor from Parole Process - #1 Priority in Pole
Progarm Tries to Make Contact with Gangsters
Who we are, how we vote: 'Election Day' in America
5 of 8 Interim Studies Not Approved by Speaker of the House
DCCC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
"Lynn,
We wanted to make sure you are aware of the visitation changes at DCCC. Level 1's will be allowed to visit for 1 hour (non-contact) behind the glass starting Dec 25th. Quote from policy: "Level (I) offender- One hour non-contact visit per week with individuals on inmates approved visiting list."
MACC
Visitation will continue for level 2, 3 and 4 offenders with a 2 hour limit for the weekends of December 25th, 26th, 27th and January 1st, 2nd
OSR
Visiting will return to normal beginning December 25, 2009.
CCF schedule:
Wednesday & Thursday, Dec.23-24 Level 1's by appointment for 1 hr. 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 25 Levels 2, 3, 4 2 hr limit 9a - 5p (available space restriction)
Saturday, Dec. 26 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names A - L 9a - 5p
Sunday, Dec. 27 Levels 3 & 4 2 hr limit Last names M - Z 9a - 5p
Lawton CF schedule:
Visiting will be as follows:
December 25, 26 and 27 levels 2, 3 and 4, accept those in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) with available space being the only restriction.
December 28 and 29 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis CF schedule:
From 24th - 29th;; 9a -7p
A-K visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Thurs, Fri., or Sat.
L - Z visitors will be allowed to choose two 2hr visitation periods Sun, Mon, and Tue.
Included is a holiday observance for visitation. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to visit by appointment. Level 1 and segregated inmates will be allowed to inform their families of the appointment.
Visitation Update for Weekend - December 19 & 20, 2009
DCCC:
2 hour visits allowed for levels 2, 3, and 4;
MACC:
2 hour visits for levels 2, 3, and 4;
OSR:
Visiting will be allowed for all level 2, level 3 and level 4 offenders
available space being the only restriction on time.
Cimoron Correctional Facility
Level 2's on Friday (Dec 18), Levels 3 & 4 on Saturday & Sunday 9-5.
All visits will be limited to 2 hours
Lawton Correctional Facility
December 19-20 Level 2, 3, and 4 with available space being the only restriction.
December 21 visits for all Protective Custody offenders
Davis Correctional Facility
Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Only Levels 2, 3 and Level 4 inmates will be allowed to visit.
Visits will be limited to 2 hours per visit.
Offenders last names A-K may visit on Friday and Saturday.
Offenders last names L-Z may visit on Sunday and Monday
Three Day Symposium - Criminal Justice Reform
Tuesday, December 15 through Thursday, December 17
Hosted by Senator Constance Johnson and Representative Sue Tibbs
Meetings are held at the Senate Chamber
Tuesday:
Wednesday
Thursday
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
Justice Center - The Council of State GovernmentsDecember 15, 2009
For Immediate Release
Congress Approves Appropriations for Key Criminal Justice Programs
New York—The House and Senate have passed an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3288) for the remainder of fiscal year 2010 that includes funding for the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill provides $114 million to the Department of Justice for prisoner reentry, including $14 million for reentry initiatives in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $100 million for Second Chance Act programs, including
- $37 million for reentry demonstration projects under Sec. 101 of the Second Chance Act
- $15 million for mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations under Sec. 211
- $10 million for reentry courts under Sec. 111
- $7.5 million for family-based substance abuse treatment under Sec. 113
- $2.5 million for grants to evaluate and improve education in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities under Sec. 114
- $5 million for technology careers training demonstration grants under Sec. 115
- $13 million for reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration under Sec. 201
- $10 million for reentry research under Sec. 245
The omnibus bill also provides $108,493,000 to the Department of Labor for ex-offender activities under the Second Chance Act and the Workforce Investment Act, including $15 million for a transitional jobs grant program. The bill also includes funding for the following programs:
- $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
- $10 million for a justice reinvestment grant program, which will provide technical assistance, incentive grants, and other activities in support of comprehensive, evidence-based criminal justice reform and recidivism-reduction efforts by states
- $519 million for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
- $40 million for the Byrne Competitive Grant Program
- $45 million for drug courts
- $330 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)
- $30 million for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
- $1.7986 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant
- $202.2 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
- $454.63 million for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, including $67.6 million for programs in CSAT's Criminal Justice portfolio
- $1.0598 billion for the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- $1.4894 billion for the National Institute of Mental Health
- $462.35 million for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
Visitation Updates - Weekend December 12 & 13
As it stands today:
OSR
Level 3 & 4 Medium Security offenders and all Minimum Security - regular visiting hours
MACC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
DCC
Medium Security offenders Level 2, 3 & 4 - limited to 2 hours, all minimum regular hours
Lawton C.F.
1. Levels 3 & 4 - at the number hours policy
2. No offender housed in segregation (main, 4C and 5C) will be allowed visits.
3. Protective Custody - normal visitation
Cimarron C.F.
Levels 3 & 4 - 2 hour visits
Oklahoma City Lawmaker Wants Governor Eventually Removed from Parole Process
- December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City lawmaker on Tuesday said she will introduce legislation to eventually remove the governor from the parole process.
Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, said her measure would make a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board be approved if the governor failed to act on it within 30 days. However, the governor would still be involved in the process for heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, she said.
Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, had filed similar legislation in the past. It passed the House, but it did not get heard in the Senate, Johnson said.
Johnson said her legislation would allow for a trial period and then put the issue of removing the governor entirely from the process to a vote of the people, something which voters have not approved in the past.
But Johnson said there is growing momentum for removing the governor from the process. "As it is, Oklahoma is the only remaining state where the governor is involved in the parole process," Johnson said.
The Board of Corrections supports removing the governor from the process as a means to reduce incarceration rates.
John Pearson, chairman of Citizens for Responsible Parole, said the state's current budget crisis will give lawmakers the "cover" they need to vote for Johnson's bill.
State agencies have been told to reduce budgets by 5 percent through the remainder of the fiscal year, with deeper cuts possible, as a result of a significant decline in state revenue.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has a budget of about half a billion dollars, yet the agency is still severely underfunded, Pearson said.
Pearson said there is widespread support for removing the governor from the parole process.
Adviser: Juveniles' Sentences Too Long - December 8, 2009 - by Barbara Hoberock - World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY — Too many juveniles are at state facilities and serve longer sentences than in other states, according to an expert on juvenile justice.
Bobbie Huskey, president of Chicago-based Huskey and Associates, said the state could save up to $4.4 million a year by reducing the number of juveniles in secure facilities and placing them in staff-secure group homes.
She was hired by the Office of Juvenile Affairs as a consultant and issued a report to the Board of Juvenile Affairs on Friday.
Huskey is a juvenile justice reform consultant to 33 states and is the past president of the American Correctional Association.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is 14.7 months or 1.2 years," she said. "This compares to six to 12 months the most frequently reported average length of stays by 53 percent of the states reporting," Huskey said.
Low-risk males spend more time in institutions than high-risk males, she said.
"Average length of stay in OJA institutions is not associated with risk to re-offend level or by age," she said. "Immaturity, lack of motivation, effects of institutionalization, fear of returning home and staff's response to youth's behaviors are some of the factors for the extended length of stay," she said.
She said there is a potential pool of offenders who could benefit from a lower level of care.
Huskey said the state's three secure facilities are not equipped to separate adolescents from adults or highly violent offenders from non-violent youth. Nationally accepted practices do not permit the mixing of such groups, she said.
In addition, many living units at state facilities do not meet standards, Huskey said.
The agency has no standards for frequency of treatment hours per week at the facilities, she said. But national guidelines call for five hours a week of individual or group treatment, Huskey said.
"Five times more black youth are confined in secure institutions compared to the state's youth population, documenting disproportionate confinement of these youth," she said.
She said OJA needs a special reintegration program to help offenders at facilities be successful when they complete their stay.
In the next few months, the agency expects to present the board with a plan to implement her suggestions and find solutions for the problems mentioned, said Gene Christian, Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director.
"The first thing to work on is the length of stay," Christian said.
Update on Visitation - December 3, 2009 - for the weekend of December 5-6
I have been advise that there will NOT be any visiting this weekend at Granite, Hominy or Stringtown, OR at the 3 privates - Cushing, Holdenville and Lawton.
They will advise again next week as to whether anyone will be allow to visit next weekend. Those that have been doing time for a while will remember that during the lockdowns in the summer of '08, after a couple of weeks, inmates of a certain level or living in certain pods got to start to have visiting before visiting was open back up to everyone. My guess is that it would stand to reason to happen again with this lockdown.
But as always we will keep everyone advise as soon as we have any news.
Lynn, President OK CURE
Parole Plea - Legislature Should Weight Policy Change - December 3, 2009 - Oklahoman Editorial
Would Oklahomans vote to remove the governor from the parole process? It's a rhetorical question, because voters aren't likely to get that opportunity any time soon.
The Legislature must first approve sending such a question to a vote of the people. The chances of that happening are remote. Most members, particularly the Republican-controlled leadership, are content with the status quo, and Democratic Gov. Brad Henry hasn't been campaigning for a change in procedure.
Oklahoma remains the only state that requires its governor to sign off on every parole request. That comes at a cost. A 2007 audit of the Department of Corrections estimated that removing the governor from the process would save roughly $40 million over 10 years.
The same audit, authorized by lawmakers at a cost of more than $800,000, said an increase in the number of offenders who must serve 85 percent of their time before being eligible for parole, combined with the state's low parole rate, would naturally lead to growth in an inmate population that already has prisons brimming.
The Board of Corrections, citing the ongoing budget crunch, is urging lawmakers to look again at removing the governor from the parole process. We believe it makes sense to do so for all but the most heinous crimes. Otherwise why have the Pardon and Parole Board spend so much time each month vetting cases?
Voters shouldn't have to worry about it, though. As much as they should, this is one area where legislators are unlikely to budge, sour economy or not.
Tulsa DA's Office Pulling Out of Case-expediting Program - November 29, 2009 - Tulsa World - by Bill Braun - World Staff Writer
A procedure designed to expedite criminal cases of nonviolent offenders through the Tulsa County court system is coming to a halt, following District Attorney Tim Harris' announcement that he is pulling out of the program.
Citing budget concerns, Harris notified court officials that effective in January, the assistant district attorney who has handled the Accelerated Accountability Procedure docket will focus on duties on other dockets.
Proponents of the accelerated accountability program are concerned that this will affect the county's Community Sentencing program, which attempts to rehabilitate offenders on probation with the assistance of supervision, sanctions, treatment and education.
"We are not abandoning community sentencing," First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond said. READ MORE>>
Officials Wonder if Attack is Linked to Others at Prison - December 1, 2009 - The Oklahoman - by Johnny Johnson, Staff Writer for OPUBCO
LAWTON---Investigators are trying to determine if a prison attack Saturday may be tied to a series of coordinated prison fights that took place a week earlier between Hispanic and American Indian prisoners. In the latest attack, Lawton police said Saturday that two inmates at the Lawton Correctional Center were attacked by two other inmates wielding homemade hatchets and knives. The injured inmates were taken by ambulance to a Lawton hospital, and one of the men required surgery.
The private prison is owned by Florida-based GEO Group Inc., which on Monday referred questions to Lawton police. Calls to Lawton police detectives Monday were not returned. A Lawton television station reported that two American Indian inmates attacked two Hispanic inmates.
Last week, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said he had heard the initial prison gang fights stemmed from the arrest of an American Indian Man accused of shooting, stabbing and burning three women and a Hispanic man at a southwest Oklahoma City house on Nov.9.
David Allen Tyner faces six counts of first-degree murder in connection with deaths which included Casey Barrientos a 32-year-old man he once worked for as a bodyguard, along with three women and two unborn children. CONTRIBUTING : THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Correction Official Urges Reform Plan - December 1, 2009 - World Capital Bureau - by Barbara Hoberock
The Department of Corrections is approaching its breaking point, said David Hanneke, a board of Corrections member. Henneke, chairman of the board's legislative committee, asked in a Nov 23 letter to lawmakers for reconsideration of a number of previously discarded proposals to reduce the agency's costs. "We are thinking that maybe with the economic times the way they are, maybe some of the things may have a better chance." Hanneke said.
The board suggests removing the governor from the parole process. Previous efforts to change the process have failed. A recent audit projected that a 30 percent parole approval rate would result in a stagnant if not declining prison population, the letter says. "At the time of the audit, the governor was approving 18.98 percent of those considered for parole," the letter says.
The audit suggested that the state could save $40.7 million over 10 years by eliminating the governor from the parole process, the letter says. However, such a move would require voter approval, something which has failed in the past. Henneke said in the letter that while we are reducing our budget by an annualized 5 percent ($22,650,000) we are currently experiencing a supplemental need of approximately $6 million just for the net offender growth.
There are also over 1,600 offenders in county jails, sentenced and awaiting arrival to the department." The board is also suggesting restarting an early release program for nonviolent offenders who are within 60 days of release when the prison population has been at 95 percent of capacity for 30 days.
"In the past, we have had disagreements with the board on the definition of nonviolent," said Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said "I do not favor early release as a cost control measure." Terrill is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.
The board is also suggesting reducing the percentage of time an inmate must serve for certain crimes before the offender can be considered for parole to 65 percent. Such a move would mean offenders who committed those crimes would be supervised on parole rather than released to the streets with no supervision, Hanneke said.
Terrill said the agency has been productive in reducing its budget but that he is concerned about the prospects of furloughing agency staff. Many of the proposals may result in savings in the long run, but not in the short term, he said. "If there is no relief in appropriations or staffing and the Department of Corrections is forced to do some furloughs, then i see no alternative but to make a public call for a lockdown at the facilities during that period of time," Terrill said.
A year ago, shortly before the recession kicked the stool out from under state revenues, Oklahoma Academy researchers asked what it would take to put Oklahoma at the national average in incarceration rates.
This is what it would take: The immediate release of 9,000 inmates, including half the women behind bars.
Don't worry, we're not about to reach the national average, which is at least three percentage points lower than Oklahoma's rate of incarceration. But if we did, the savings would be significant — more than $100 million annually. But Oklahoma is loathe to stoop to the national average. The history of corrections over the past 30 years shows that we'd rather be safe than sorry in spite of the fact that all this incarceration has not greatly reduced crime rates.
Pardon and Parole Board to Discuss Innocence of Former Inmate Next Month- November 26, 2009
Story written by BARBARA HOBEROCK with World Capital Bureau Published by The Tulsa World Thursday November 26, 2009 3:39 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY--- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is not prepared to determine cases of actual innocence, which the governor is asking it to do in the case of a former state inmate who is seeking to have his record expunged the board's chairwoman said. Gov. Brad Henry has asked the board to investigate the case of Gene Weatherly, whom Henry pardoned in 2007.
Weatherly said the forensic evidence used at his trail was discredited after he completed his sentence in 2002. He also cited problems with his prosecution and trial. Although he was pardoned , his name has not been cleared, said Weatherly, who lives in Hobart. Pardon and Parole Board spokeswoman Susan Loving said she wished the board was consulted before the decision was made for it to handle Weatherly's case.
This is huge now that we have this responsibility," she said. The board might need to seek money for the process through supplemental appropriation, Loving said. Pardon and Parole Board staff members have been directed to come up with a procedure for tackling such requests. " The Pardon and Parole Board is not a jury," said Terry Jenks, it's executive director. "We don't hear witnesses and evaluate evidence. We need to figure out some options about where we are going.
A law passed in 2008 allows a person to seek to have a conviction expunged if a person received a full pardon based on a written finding by the governor of actual innocence for the crime for witch the person was sentenced. another section of the law, dealing with lawsuits against the state, allows the Pardon and Parole Board to determine actual innocence. Weatherly said he wasn't;t suing the state.
An Oklahoma County jury convicted him in 1984 of stabbing an Oklahoma City woman, based in part of the testimony of fired Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist, who said mud and fibers on Weatherly's shoes proved that he had been in the victim's home. An FBI chemist said later that Gilchrist's findings were faulty. Henry said he was unable to render a definitive finding of innocence with the information that was provided to him.
He said the Pardon and Parole Board, which conducts investigations and holds parole hearings, might be better equipped to handle the job. "Given the history of the case, particularly the discredited forensic evidence, I certainly agree there are legitimate doubts about the conviction, "the governor said." That is one of the reasons i granted a pardon to Mr Weatherly. However, i did not feel the information before me definitively proved that the jury was wrong or that the conviction was based solely on discredited forensic evidence," he said.
It is my hope that the Pardon and Parole Board can make more headway in this case with its investigative abilities and hearing process. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater did not return a call seeking comment. Joe Reinke, an Oklahoma City Attorney, who help prosecute the case, noted that it also involved testimony from the victim.
The discredited forensic evidence is important in determining whether Weatherly got his fair day in court, Reinke said, but "Its not a difference maker on whether he committed the crime. Rink said he is pleased that people are working to try to do the right thing but that he has not lost sleep over the case." The Pardon and Parole Board is expected to discuss the issue next month. no date for an actual innocence has been set, Jenks said.
Visitation Update - November 24, 2009
The medium security offenders at OSR, DCCC and MACC are still on “lock down”. Telephone access and Visitation for these facilities has been cancelled through November 30. This affects only the medium security offenders at these three state facilities. On or shortly after November 30 the situation will be reassessed.
LCF – Visiting as normal, phones will be available.
CCF and DCF – No Visiting with a plan to reassess on Monday, November 30. Phone calls will be allowed on Saturday but limited to 10 minutes.
Greg Williams, Assistant Deputy Director
Field Op
Update from Justin Jones - Director - OK DOC - November 24, 2009
Want to update you all.
Justin Jones called me this morning, they will be keeping us inform as to what is happening. They will be meeting every morning over the holidays to stay on top of the lockdown.
We will be looking at dates to have face to face meeting in the next couple of weeks to talk about us working together on many issues.
If anyone is interested in attending let me know.
Lynn Powell President
Inquire Could Link Prison Fights to Case - November 24, 2009
FOUR REMAIN HOSPITALIZED
|
Inmates Hurt in Prison Disturbances - UPDATE -
Story by The Associated Press published by Tulsa World Monday November 23, 2009 3 P.M. ((CST)) copied and brought to CURE-OK by LeAnne Jones
OKLAHOMA CITY----Four Oklahoma prison inmates remain hospitalized with stab wounds after fights broke out at three separate prisons. Department of Corrections Spokesman Jerry Massie says all four inmates from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite were in stable condition Monday.
Meanwhile,Massie says medium-security prisons across the state remain on lockdown status , which limits inmates movement inside the facilities A total of six inmates were transported to hospitals after fights erupted Saturday at the Granite prison, the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, and the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing
Maisie says the fights were between American Indian and Hispanic inmates and authorities believe the fights were coordinated..
INMATES HURT IN PRISON DISTURBANCES - AP Nov 21, 2009
OK CURE Newsletter - Spring 2009 - see below
Oklahoma 2009 Legislature Get's Cracking
Cushing Lock Down
OK Cure Meetings Scheduled for Metro OKC & Tulsa
Lawton - Lock Down Release Phases
Visitation Update - Aug 16 & 17 - Dick Conner Correctional Institue
Lawton Visitation UPDATE - July 30, 2008
Latest News for Lawton - July 23, 2008
Visitation Shut Down - FAMILY ALERT - July 4th Weekend, 2008
Removing Governor from Parole Process - #1 Priority in Pole
Progarm Tries to Make Contact with Gangsters
Who we are, how we vote: 'Election Day' in America
5 of 8 Interim Studies Not Approved by Speaker of the House
ok cure spring 2009 newsletter
From the Heart
by Lynn Powell
Where Do We Go From Here?, New OP's, New Laws
First what you don’t want to hear; there weren’t any bills passed this year that will reduce anyone’s time or give them extra credit.. I’m not sure what to tell you about the private prisons other than ask you: Where you think they would put everyone? Several years ago DOC renewed the CCA contracts for only 30 days at a time for almost 6 months, so that maybe what we are looking at happening again.
Normally now I would be advising you what happen at the Annual meeting but it was postpone till Sun. July 19th at 2:30 in Tulsa at Hardesty Library, 8316 E 93rd St. Nominations for the Board will be accepted till July 1 for voting by mail. Any member that wants to vote and can’t make the meeting can request a ballot. At the meeting any member in good standing can be nominated. The new board will serve until next March. The meeting was postpone by the Board after I became very ill. I have since had surgery and I’m doing much better. I have had health issues past couple of years & I’ve tried to step-down or back but that has not been accepted by the board. It has been very hard for me as I feel I haven’t been able to do a good enough job for OK-CURE & I have come to know many of you inside & out as family. Those on the inside mostly lifers & LWOP; are why I’ve stayed involved but I need a break or at the very least more help. For OK-CURE to survive YOU must step-up, that is if YOU want OK-CURE to survive? Whether you have just an hour of time or just a dollar to spare, that would be great, every little bit helps a great deal. Or maybe you think that OK-CURE is no longer needed? I’m more than willing to help share my knowledge about how things work at the capital or who to contact at DOC. The question is do YOU want to learn? Do YOU want to make a difference? Those on the inside can help by talking to others on the inside and everyone talking to their friends & family on the outside. Is OK-CURE worth saving? It is all in your hands now! Does anyone want to be President or at least Co-President?
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
As we prepare for the election of new board members, now is the time for CURE to examine its priorities for the upcoming year. Once elected the new board will review current priorities, and establish short term and long term goals. For the last few years, CURE has been focused on five goals. They include: (1) removing the governor from the parole process, (2) improving voting rights for ex-offender, (3) increasing professional and trade licenses for ex-offenders, (4) reducing phone rates for collect calls to family and friends, and (5) establishing an Ombudsman for DOC. Of these goals, phone rates were reduced last year by the Justin Jones Director of the Department of Corrections. Also, CURE has been an information clearing house for proposed legislative bills and laws that affect inmates and their families. We have kept members informed on the status of bills and communicated major changes in DOC policies, procedures and other matters.
Although there are many important issues that CURE could address, we can be more effective if we concentrated on a “critical few”. After the upcoming elections, the new board will determine where we are going from here. We would like to hear from members. Please attend the next meeting scheduled for July 19. If you can’t attend, please feel free to email or write to CURE with your comments. By A. OK-CURE boardmemberArticle date
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