Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has issued an executive order creating a special committee to develop reforms to how the state handles nonviolent offenders who have substance abuse problems and mental health issues.
Fallin issued the order Wednesday creating the six-member Oklahoma Justice Reform Steering Committee.
The six-member committee will be made up of the governor, the attorney general, the Senate president pro tempore, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the director of the state Department of Corrections and the commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, or their designees. The governor or her designee will serve as chairman.
“According to all measures, Oklahoma has some of the highest incarceration rates in the country,” said Fallin. “Many of our inmates are non-violent offenders with drug abuse and alcohol problems who need treatment. Offering treatment can help them return to their communities as sober, healthy adults ready to support themselves and their families. This will reduce poverty, keep families together and help people with mental health and substance abuse problems get their lives back on track.”
The committee will develop a plan for implementing justice reform measures tailored to Oklahoma's security needs and budget and prioritize ways to reduce prison overcrowding and promote public safety.
The committee will present its findings to the governor and lawmakers by December 31, 2016.
Fallin said during her inaugural speech Monday that many of the state’s inmates are non-violent offenders with drug abuse and alcohol problems and don’t need to be housed in prisons where they can join gangs and acquire criminal networks.
“They need treatment; they need supervision,” the governor said. “There is a smarter way to help someone who is addicted to prescription pain pills than to have them sit in a jail cell with little or no access to treatment. And for those who suffer from mental illness, we need to offer help and counseling to get them healthy and to divert them from our prison system.”
