Faced with a rapidly growing prison population in a
state with the second-highest incarceration rate in the nation, a task force
created by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued a report calling for dramatic
decreases in sentences for nonviolent drug dealers and manufacturers, reported
The Oklahoman.
Without reform, Oklahoma is on pace to add 7,218
inmates over the next 10 years, requiring three new prisons and costing the
state an additional $1.9 billion in capital expenditures and operating costs,
the report said.
But task members said those costs can be averted and
the prison population can be reduced 7 percent over the next decade through a
combination of sentence reductions and other reforms, including increased
funding for alternative mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.
Oklahoma currently has 61,385 individuals in its
overcrowded prison system.
Oklahoma's prison population, which is at 109
percent of capacity, has grown 9 percent in the past five years and is now 78
percent higher than the national average. Only Louisiana has a higher rate, the
report said.
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