In October of 2024, an interim study examined Oklahoma’s uniquely lengthy criminal sentencing. The study, requested by Rep. Danny Williams (R-Seminole), also examined the growing population of inmates 55 and over, the underutilization of parole-granting powers, and the effects these have on Oklahoma taxpayers and prison populations.  

Research was presented by the Oklahoma Policy Institute (OPI), a nonpartisan policy research, analysis, and advocacy organization. OPI suggests a greater willingness to grant parole can relieve some pressure off Oklahoma’s overcrowded and understaffed prisons.

Prison sentences in Oklahoma are extremely punitive when compared to the national average. According to research by fwd.us, Oklahomans spend 21% longer behind bars for violent crimes. When compared to other states in the U.S., Oklahomans are incarcerated: 

• Nearly twice as long for common property crimes like larceny and fraud  

• More than twice as long for motor vehicle theft 

• More than twice as long for drug sale or trafficking convictions (35 months in Oklahoma compared to an average of 17 months in other states.)

“I think if we’re the bible belt people that believe in mercy and grace, we ought to at least be equal instead of worse on people.”

-Rep. Danny Williams

These sentences are also costly. According to research by OPI, it costs Oklahoma an average of $455,000 to incarcerate one person for 20 years. In July of 2021, 8,027 people were serving a sentence 20 years or longer in the state. A conservative estimate puts the cost to incarcerate them at $3.7 billion over 20 years. While taxpayers pay a premium to keep people locked up, years of research shows that longer sentences aren’t associated with better public safety outcomes.

According to The Sentencing Project, “There is strong criminological evidence that lengthy prison terms are counterproductive for public safety as they result in incarceration of individuals long past the time that they have ‘aged out’ of the high crime years, thereby diverting resources from more promising crime reduction initiatives.”

Research shows that offenders age out of crime. As prisoners who were teens or young adults at the beginning of their sentences get older, their risk to society diminishes. But in Oklahoma, many remain in prison. Nationally, prisoners 55+ make up about 15.7% of federal and state prisons. This demographic now outweighs the number of people incarcerated that are under 25. 

According to OPI, between 1980 and 2017, the prison population in Oklahoma aged 50 and over increased by over 6,000% percent. Taxpayers shoulder heavy costs which only compound as prisoners age. From 2013 to 2023, Oklahoma Department of Correction’s health services budget increased by nearly 75%.

Nationally, prisoners 55+ make up about 15.7% of federal and state prisons. According to Vera, this demographic now outweighs the number of people incarcerated that are under 25.  

According to OPI, between 1980 and 2017, the prison population in Oklahoma aged 50 and over increased by over 6,000% percent. Taxpayers shoulder heavy costs which only compound as prisoners age. From 2013 to 2023, Oklahoma Department of Correction’s health services budget increased by nearly 75%.

“I think when you’re at the later ages of life, that we should look at quality of health and also behavior and look at taking some of that cost burden off of the state and letting people back out conditionally. It doesn’t make any sense to keep really sick people that aren’t dangerous even though we were mad at them 20 years ago, and they’re not even capable of doing much anymore.” 

-Rep. Danny Williams

While prisons are stretched thin due to staff shortages, overcrowding, inadequate funding, and an aging population, OPI looks to the Pardon and Parole Board to offer some relief. There is already a built-in mechanism allowing the state to grant parole to individuals who are eligible, but they argue that it’s underutilized.

Parole can be granted in two ways. First through earned credits, which can be awarded for things like good behavior or pursuing education. The second way is through approval from the five-member Pardon and Parole Board, which requires three favorable votes for parole to be granted or recommended, depending on the charges.  

Legislation amended in 2018 increased the number of people who are eligible for parole but there hasn’t been a significant increase in paroles granted. In fact, Oklahoma Watch reported that parole rates have declined in recent years. 

Even in non-violent cases, the Pardon and Parole Board’s approval rate ranges from 19 to 30%, where the facts of the case are less likely to be “egregious”, a descriptor commonly used to make the case for denying parole on violent cases.  

OPI says that to make the parole system work as it was intended, the law must define what cases the pardon and parole board must consider and how it makes its decisions. Simply making more people eligible for parole doesn’t work. Regulatory measures are needed to ensure that everyone who is eligible for parole is allowed a timely and fair shot, and that the appropriate amount of time is available to the board to review the case.