Oklahoma lawmakers study fallout of high incarceration rate

In a state that leads the nation in locking up women, child advocates say Oklahoma's children are paying the price for the state's tough-on-crime sentencing policies.

By The Associated Press | Published: September 14, 2010 Comment on this article

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Oklahoma's strict criminal sentences, especially for women, create hardships for the children of inmates and perpetuate a cycle that often results in the children behind bars themselves, experts warned lawmakers Tuesday.

Several child advocates and a criminal justice expert testified before the House Human Services Committee that Oklahoma's children are paying the price for the state's tough-on-crime sentencing policies.

“Children of prisoners have a daunting array of needs,” said Alice Blue of the Community Services Council of Tulsa. “They need a safe place to live and people to care for them in their parent's absence, as well as everything else a parent might be expected to provide — food, clothing, medical care.

“They have committed no crime, but the penalty they are required to pay is steep.”

Oklahoma's female incarceration rate has been the highest in the nation for more than a decade, with about 131 women behind bars for every 100,000 residents — almost double the national average of about 69, said Laura Pitman, who oversees female offender operations for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

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