In 2021, 36% of prisoners who appeared before the board received a favorable recommendation. That dropped to 24% in 2023, with 323 fewer nonviolent prisoners granted parole compared to 2021.
Approximately 90% of the outside money was spent to support or oppose State Question 820, a ballot initiative proposing legalized recreational marijuana that voters rejected in March.
The Parole Board says more stringent rules would boost transparency and weed out meritless applications. Justice reform advocates worry that stricter requirements would keep worthy early release candidates incarcerated for
Four of the five speakers during a House interim study on Tuesday were critical of the system, raising concerns about cost, complexity and socio-political issues. #okleg