According to Tulsa County Undersheriff Tim Albin, the establishment of a highly-publicized criminal justice law could result in backups at county jails across Oklahoma. The new statute, called House Bill 3052, requires mandatory supervision for convicted felons in Oklahoma who are discharging their sentence, and establishes a grant program within the Attorney General’s Office for …
According to Tulsa County Undersheriff Tim Albin, the establishment of a highly-publicized criminal justice law could result in backups at county jails across Oklahoma. The new statute, called House Bill 3052, requires mandatory supervision for convicted felons in Oklahoma who are discharging their sentence, and establishes a grant program within the Attorney General’s Office for local law enforcement agencies. The statute also creates intermediary revocation facilities for those offenders who violate the conditions of their probation, and calls for an assessment to determine an inmate’s threat to public safety and to identify any mental health or drug and substance abuse issues. The consequences associated with a conviction for a criminal offense in Oklahoma are far-reaching. If you are facing charges for a crime in Oklahoma, contact our qualified criminal defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center today to discuss your legal rights.
New Oklahoma Law Faces Numerous Obstacles
Although the new Oklahoma law has been touted as an effective way to improve public safety and reduce the state’s rising prison population, Albin is concerned that offenders who violate their parole will require lengthy stays in his jail and other county jails while they are waiting to be sent to intermediary revocation facilities. Because the mental health and substance abuse assessment is to be completed prior sentencing but after conviction so that it can be used to determine the offender’s placement, Albin predicts that delays in completing the assessment could increase the backlog in Oklahoma jails. “I just see a lot of obstacles in the way of implementing it and making it a smooth process,” said Albin. The deadline for many elements of the Oklahoma criminal justice bill is November 1, 2012.
Our Criminal Defense Lawyers Can Help
House Speaker Kris Steele says he can appreciate Albin’s concerns about the assessment, which is still being developed, and what the new measure could mean for his jail. “What we learned [at the meeting] today is that we have got a lot of work to do,” Steele said following a meeting involving the group monitoring the implementation of House Bill 3052. He says that the intention of the intermediary revocation facilities is to deter nonviolent offenders with a technical probation violation from going back to jail to finish an entire sentence at a higher cost to taxpayers. The facilities will provide treatment for things like drug and alcohol addiction, and the Department of Corrections plans to create these facilities within the current system instead of building new structures. If you have been charged with a criminal offense in Oklahoma, don’t hesitate to secure reliable legal representation. Contact our experienced criminal defense lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center as soon as possible to protect your legal rights and explore possible defense strategies.