Bail reform is being voted on tomorrow

Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and express your support for SB 252. This bill is on their agenda for tomorrow, April 2nd.

Rep. Chris Kannady (405) 557-7337 chris.kannady@okhouse.gov
Rep. Danny Sterling (405) 557-7349 danny.sterling@okhouse.gov
Rep. Rhonda Baker (405) 557-7311 rhonda.baker@okhouse.gov
Rep. Avery Frix (405) 557-7302 avery.frix@okhouse.gov
Rep. Ben Loring (405) 557-7399 ben.loring@okhouse.gov
Rep. Jason Lowe (405) 557-7367 jason.lowe@okhouse.gov
Rep. Robert Manger (405) 557-7395 robert.manger@okhouse.gov
Rep. Terry O’Donnell (405) 557-7379 terry.odonnell@okhouse.gov
Rep. Jim Olsen (405) 557-7315 jim.olsen@okhouse.gov
Rep. Mike Osburn (405) 557-7360 mike.osburn@okhouse.gov
Rep. David Perryman (405) 557-7401 david.perryman@okhouse.gov
Rep. Dustin Roberts (405) 557-7366 dustin.roberts@okhouse.gov
Rep. Judd Strom (405) 557-7402 judd.strom@okhouse.gov
Rep. Johnny Tadlock (405) 557-7363 johnny.tadlock@okhouse.gov
Rep. Tammy Townley (405) 557-7326 tammy.townley@okhouse.gov
Rep. Collin Walke (405) 557-7335 collin.walke@okhouse.gov
Rep. Rande Worthen (405) 557-7398 rande.worthen@okhouse.gov

SB 252 is the most significant bail reform measure Oklahoma lawmakers have considered in decades.

The bill guarantees defendants a bail hearing within 48 hours of arrest and creates more chances for those who can’t pay bail to be released before trial. No one should be locked in our overcrowded and expensive county jails simply because they’re poor. Learn more about bail reform in Oklahoma here. Oklahoma’s money bail system imposes millions of dollars in fees on our most vulnerable communities and keeps thousands of our citizens incarcerated each year because they can’t afford to bond out. People accused of nonviolent offenses can spend weeks or months in jail, costing counties millions of dollars with no benefit to public safety. SB 252 would ensure that people accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies are considered for unsecured release and are detained only if they pose a specific threat to public safety or have a history of failing to appear for their court date. Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to support SB 252. To learn more about effective advocacy, visit our advocacy toolkit.

Published by Sabine Brown

Sabine Brown joined the Oklahoma Policy Institute as Housing Senior Policy Analyst in January 2022. She previously worked at OK Policy from January 2018 until September 2020 as the Outreach and Legislative Director, and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. Before joining OK Policy she served as the Oklahoma Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Sabine also earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Health Science from the University of Oklahoma and was a physician assistant prior to discovering advocacy work. She grew up in Germany but has called Oklahoma home since 1998.