Transcript
On Monday, at least 462 non-violent inmates walked out of prisons across Oklahoma.
It’s the largest single-day commutation in U.S. history.
A commutation is when a criminal sentence is reduced either partially or completely.
The move is aimed to reduce overcrowding in prison and help low-level offenders become self-sufficient rather than restart a cycle that could land them back behind bars.
The reform effort has been backed by Republicans and Democrats.
Year after year, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with Oklahoma being one of the highest states.
Oklahoma has tried to fight the trend by passing reforms that would turn some low-level felonies, like possession of a small amount of drugs and minor property crimes, into misdemeanors.
Oklahoma’s governor Kevin Stitt has been an advocate for criminal justice reform.
The governor offered encouraging words to the now former inmates as they begin a new chapter saying, “This is the first day of the rest of your life.”
The Closed Caption version of this video can be found here:
https://sign1news.com/2019/11/05/sign1news-11-5-19/
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