Sen. McCortney Comments on House Bill 2946

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, today released the following statement on House Bill 2946.

“The Senate not hearing this bill is a policy decision and based on not going backward on criminal justice reform,” Sen. McCortney said. “Statistics have made it clear that Oklahoma previously led the nation and parts of the world in overincarceration. The demands for reform reached a fever pitch and the state legislature, our current governor, as well as voters, acted to make the conscious decision that we needed criminal justice reform, and we acted accordingly. This measure would run counter to that collective goal. The mission of the Department of Corrections in part is to rehabilitate and prepare individuals convicted of crimes to reenter society. The individual who pled guilty in this case was released based on earned credits from policy decisions at the Department of Corrections, not the Senate.”

“While I wholeheartedly agree that the facts and circumstances surrounding the case in question are horrific and my heart goes out to the families involved, it is the job of the Senate to craft and pass sound public policy, while not undermining the will of Oklahomans.

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