{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-22-22-1514","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 22, § 22-1514","heading":"Purposes and policies of the criminal justice and","body":"corrections systems.\n\nThe following purposes and policies of the criminal justice and\n\ncorrections systems are hereby established:\n\n1. Protection of the public. Incarceration should be viewed by\n\nthe court both as punishment and as a means of protecting the\n\npublic. Limitations on the freedom of the offender and the\n\nappropriate level of custody should be dictated in the first\n\ninstance by the nature of the offense, the violent character of the\n\noffender, the proclivity of the offender to engage in criminal\n\nconduct as demonstrated by his criminal record, and the sound\n\njudgment of the sentencing court after taking into account all of\n\nthe relevant aggravating and mitigating factors involved in the\n\noffender's record of criminal conduct.\n\n2. Punishment of the offender. After the interests of public\n\nprotection have been addressed, consideration should be given to\n\nrestriction of the liberty of the offender in such manner and to\n\nsuch extent as is necessary to demonstrate clearly that the\n\noffender's conduct is unacceptable to society and to discourage a\n\nrepetition of such conduct. In determining the appropriate\n\npunishment, the court should consider a range of sanctions at the\n\nstate or community level which may include incarceration, various\n\ndegrees of restrictions on the offender's liberty including house\n\narrest, electronic monitoring, various degrees of supervision,\n\ncommunity penalties, community service, restitution, reparation, or\n\nfines.\n\n3. Rehabilitation of the offender. Every sentencing plan\n\nshould consider treatment and rehabilitative needs of the offender\n\nto the extent that it addresses the cause of the criminal behavior\n\nand, therefore, might assist in correcting such behavior. The\n\noffender should be enrolled in a program of rehabilitation over a\n\ndefinite minimal period of time. The program of rehabilitation\n\nshould involve work and recreation and may involve education,\n\npsychological or psychiatric counseling, treatment for alcohol or\n\ndrug abuse and sexual aggression either within or without the prison\n\nwalls as the individual case may indicate. The court may recommend\n\nremedies for alcoholism, substance abuse, mental illness, education\n\nand employment deficiencies, and may order community-based offenders\n\nto pay for such treatment to the extent the offender is able.\n\nPublic institutions should respond to the court order at no cost to\n\nthe indigent offender. Where treatment is not available from public\n\ninstitutions, the state should purchase appropriate treatment from\n\nthe private sector.\n\n4. Restitution and reparation. When appropriate, the\n\nsentencing plan should provide for restitution or reparation to the\n\nvictim or victims, whether they be individual citizens,\n\ncorporations, or society as a whole, to be paid as soon as\n\npracticable. Such restitution or reparation should include\n\nrepayment for any property stolen or damaged, medical costs and lost\n\nwages of the victims, court costs and reasonable costs to cover\n\npretrial detention, and restitution to the community through\n\ncommunity service. In those cases where the offender can be\n\npunished and rehabilitated outside of prison without jeopardizing\n\nthe security of the society at large in their persons or property,\n\nit is appropriate and encouraged that the offender pay his debt to\n\nsociety through a range of punishments which are alternative to\n\nincarceration. The court should order such supervision or\n\nrestrictions as deemed necessary for the offender to comply with the\n\nrestitution orders. Failure to comply should result in stricter\n\nmeasures.\n\n5. Work policy for offenders. It is the policy of this state\n\nthat offenders should work when reasonably possible, either at jobs\n\nin the private sector to pay restitution and support their\n\ndependents, or at community service jobs that benefit the public, or\n\nat useful work while in prison or jail, or at educational or\ne\n\nrestitution orders. Failure to comply should result in stricter\n\nmeasures.\n\n5. Work policy for offenders. It is the policy of this state\n\nthat offenders should work when reasonably possible, either at jobs\n\nin the private sector to pay restitution and support their\n\ndependents, or at community service jobs that benefit the public, or\n\nat useful work while in prison or jail, or at educational or\n\ntreatment endeavors as a part of a rehabilitation program.\n\nOffenders should be offered the opportunity to reduce the duration\n\nof their sentences by earning \"time\" credit for work endeavors in\n\nachieving vocational or educational skill levels. Prisoners who are\n\nable and do not work or who refuse to participate in treatment\n\nprograms should be prohibited from enjoying privileges which may be\n\nprovided to inmates beyond those required by law.\n\n6. Responsibility of Department of Corrections. It is the goal\n\nof the Department of Corrections to provide adequate prison space to\n\nensure that those sentenced to prison will remain incarcerated until\n\nsuch time as they can be safely released, or until their active\n\nsentences are completed, and to provide community-based supervision\n\nfor those offenders selected for supervised probation and parole by\n\nthe courts and the Pardon and Parole Board.\n\nIt is the mission of the Department to provide housing,\n\nclothing, food and medical care to its inmates, to maintain a safe\n\nand secure prison system, to keep accurate records, to offer job\n\ntraining, education, counseling, work and treatment programs deemed\n\nappropriate to monitor and advance the rehabilitative progress of\n\nits inmates, to provide a fair and orderly progression through\n\ncustody levels, and to make data and recommendations regarding\n\nparole available to the Pardon and Parole Board. As an inmate\n\ndemonstrates that he is no longer a threat to society, that the\n\npunishment has been effective and that a program of rehabilitation\n\nis showing progress, the inmate's level of custody may be\n\ncommensurately reduced in an orderly progression through custody\n\nlevels to parole and release from supervision.\n\nIt is the mission of the Department of Corrections to receive\n\nconvicted offenders selected by the courts and the Pardon and Parole\n\nBoard and to protect society through a coordinated program of\n\ncommunity supervision which provides realistic opportunities for\n\nprobationers and parolees to develop skills necessary to adjust to\n\nfree society. As a probationer or parolee demonstrates that the\n\nsupervision has been effective and that a community treatment\n\nprogram is showing progress, the level of supervision may be\n\ncommensurately reduced in an orderly progression to prepare for\n\nrelease from supervision.","path":["OK Code","Title 22"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os22.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"70421d45c2635e06b6eede0cf7385985427d2fb49427df2b9e6ed33d06e3808d","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-22-22-151","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-22-22-1517"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}