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Oklahoma lawmakers should reject effort to limit new parole law

The Oklahoman Editorial | Published: December 19, 2012 Comment on this article

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Mashburn argued that under SQ 762, “the parole board gets to let them straight out without any checks and balances.” That's another way of saying he doesn't trust the five-member board or its staff, who do a tremendous amount of work each month. Case files include every offense committed by the potential parolee, providing board members a thorough look at the inmate's history. And those files are just one piece of the process.

The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council opposed passage of 762. Having lost that fight — voters gave it 59 percent approval — the strategy has turned to damage control before any damage has been done. The Legislature should reject these efforts.

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