Oklahoma prison advocates rally at the State Capitol calling for criminal justice reform
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma prison advocates who are friends and family of incarcerated inmates rallied at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Thursday. They are calling for criminal justice reform.
Representative J.J. Humphrey led the public discussion along with groups dedicated to changing the system for good.
Several stories and voices were heard around the table on Thursday afternoon. Many called out the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for issues they say are not being resolved.
“I say to you as a child, our mother’s and father’s human rights are being violated right now as I am speaking… The Constitution is supposed to protect our mommies and daddies against cruel and unusual punishment during the course of confinement,” said a child prison advocate.
Emotion, anger and hope filled the room early Thursday afternoon. Many were advocating for inmates who say they aren’t getting the help they need.
“Let’s go storm the gates of Hell,” said a prison advocate.
The protestors addressed topics including poor prison conditions, no access to mental health and medical care, an increase in rapes and wrongful convictions and deaths. They all pointed the finger at Department of Corrections staff and management.
“The time for action is now. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the injustices festering within our correctional system. We must demand accountability, transparency and meaningful reform. Let us work together,” said a prison advocate.
“The only way we’re going to get change is through legislation,” said Emily Barnes, Director and Founder of Hooked on Justice.
Representative J.J. Humphrey was there in support. He asked everyone to start documenting and collecting evidence.
“I can’t stop it without you documenting. If you got a video, that’s great. If you have medical records, that’s great. If you have witnesses that we can list down, great. So, start learning how to document all of this evidence… Until we verify, until we actually prove that to be 100%, then we use the word alleged because everybody’s innocent till proven guilty,” said Representative J.J. Humphrey, (R) Lane.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections official Kay Thompson was at the public meeting to listen and look into claims made by protestors.
“They brought up very great points about incarceration does not just affect the individual, it affects the family. And we realize that. And we take great care in making sure that we listen to the family members when they raise issues with us,” said Kay Thompson, Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
Thompson says the agency looks into every allegation, complaint and concern. She adds they take all of them seriously.
“We have a dedicated staff of over 3500 people that fight to keep out contraband, to reduce violence, to make sure that people and Oklahomans, our neighbors, serve their time as safely and as humanely as possible… I see the facts. I see the data. I definitely will never lie for this agency. And I try to be as transparent as possible. So, any time I make a statement, I have the facts and the data back to back it up,” said Thompson.
Thompson says they are also making several changes to better serve the inmates.
“We are listening to the families. We’ve already done the inmate surveys. Medical and mental health scored of some of the highest categories. The food scored the lowest. But we’re attacking that right now. We are changing our dietary plan,” said Thompson.
DOC officials say, “We also have a dedicated unit to help inmates’ family members with issues or just answer questions on how to navigate incarceration. Community Outreach specializes in handling these types of inquiries – 405-425-2607 or community.outreach@doc.ok.gov.”
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