Criminal Justice (Victims' Rights)

in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1320: Crimes and punishments; creating the Child Trafficking Protection Act of 2025; increasing penalties for certain unlawful act; effective date.

HB 1320 creates Oklahoma's "Child Trafficking Protection Act of 2025" by amending statutes to define human trafficking more broadly and significantly increase penalties. It specifically targets trafficking for commercial sex or labor, with harsher punishments: 5+ years to life for standard cases, and 15+ years to life without parole for offenses involving victims under 18. Key provisions include requiring offenders to pay victim restitution, mandating 85% of sentences be served before parole eligibility, and eliminating defenses based on victim consent or ignorance of a minor's age. The law directly affects traffickers and those exploiting victims, particularly minors, with stricter criminal consequences.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties for child trafficking with mandatory minimums (15+ years without parole for minors) and restitution, aligning with punitive sentencing approach.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Human Trafficking Probation & Parole Victims' Rights

Track

signed · Oklahoma · House May 28, 2025

HB 1462: Criminal procedure; directing courts to prioritize orders of payments of restitution; effective date.

HB 1462 requires Oklahoma courts to prioritize ordering restitution payments to crime victims when sentencing convicted defendants (excluding death penalty cases). The bill amends sentencing procedures to ensure courts consider restitution as a key requirement before other sentencing options, with interest accruing at 12% annually. It directly affects convicted individuals who must pay restitution, crime victims who receive priority for compensation, and courts that must now formally prioritize this in sentencing decisions. The law applies to all criminal convictions where restitution is feasible without causing undue hardship to the defendant.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticePrioritizes victim restitution in sentencing procedures, advancing victim rights and fair sentencing within criminal justice reform.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Sentencing Victims' Rights

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 17, 2025

SB 748: Larceny; establishing certain offense and providing penalty. Effective date.

SB 748 amends Oklahoma's larceny laws for theft from retail or wholesale businesses, establishing tiered penalties based on the value of stolen merchandise and prior convictions. It increases punishments for repeat offenses (e.g., third theft under $1,000 becomes a misdemeanor with up to 1 year in jail), classifies thefts of $1,000-$15,000 as felonies with prison terms up to 8 years, and requires restitution to victims. The bill also allows aggregating multiple thefts within 180 days for sentencing and imposes a $500 fine or 30 hours of community service for stealing shopping carts. This directly affects individuals who steal merchandise from stores, with penalties varying by value, frequency, and prior record.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill increases penalties for theft, classifies more offenses as felonies, and aggregates multiple thefts for harsher sentencing, expanding criminalization and mandatory punishments.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Sentencing Victims' Rights

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 973: Debt collection; prohibiting certain contract with private debt collectors. Effective date.

SB 973 prohibits Oklahoma courts and state entities from contracting with private debt collectors to collect criminal fines, fees, costs, or restitution owed by individuals. This directly affects courts, state agencies handling collections, and private debt collection companies that previously managed these payments. The bill’s key provision, added to Oklahoma law, bans such contracts without altering existing court cost structures for criminal cases. It repeals related sections of law (19 O.S. §§ 514.4-514.5) that governed court cost compliance programs. The law aims to keep collection of criminal justice debts within public systems, not private contractors.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBans private debt collectors for criminal fines, reducing exploitation of vulnerable defendants and preventing debt cycles that increase recidivism.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Victims' Rights

Track

passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 17, 2025

HB 1215: Human trafficking; creating the Human Trafficking Law; modifying scope of certain defined terms; requiring registration with the Sex Offenders Act; directing Information be submitted to the FBI; effective date.

HB 1215 establishes Oklahoma's first comprehensive human trafficking law by defining key terms like "coercion" (including threats, debt bondage, and controlling documents) and "human trafficking" (covering both labor exploitation and commercial sex acts). It makes trafficking a felony punishable by 5-20 years in prison (or $100,000 fine) for general cases, and 15-99 years (or $250,000 fine) if the victim is a minor. Convicted traffickers must register as sex offenders under Oklahoma's Sex Offenders Act and have their information submitted to the FBI. The law also prohibits using a victim's consent as a defense and requires courts to order restitution to victims.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEstablishes comprehensive human trafficking law with defined terms, felony penalties, and sex offender registration, strengthening criminal justice enforcement against exploitation.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Human Trafficking Victims' Rights

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 154: Restitution; requiring court to prioritize order for restitution to victims. Effective date.

SB 154 requires Oklahoma courts to prioritize ordering restitution payments to crime victims when sentencing defendants convicted of crimes (excluding death penalty cases). The bill amends sentencing guidelines to explicitly state that courts "shall prioritize an order for payments of restitution to the victim to the extent feasible" before considering other sentencing options like community service or fines. It directly affects courts, victims seeking compensation, and defendants required to pay restitution. The key change is a procedural shift in sentencing priorities, ensuring restitution is addressed early in the process without altering existing restitution rates or amounts.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires courts to prioritize victim restitution payments in sentencing, aligning with victim protection and criminal justice reform principles.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Sentencing Victims' Rights

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 2924: Victim protective orders; directing peace officers to serve order and complete return of service when filing petition; effective date.

HB 2924 requires peace officers to immediately notify judges when victims request emergency protective orders for domestic violence, stalking, harassment, or related crimes, and to assist victims in completing petitions. Officers must make "every attempt" to serve the order on the defendant and file the petition with the court the next business day if service isn't possible, with clerks prioritizing service. The bill mandates 14-day hearing deadlines for emergency orders and specifies court clerks must document assigned hearing times. This affects victims of domestic violence and related crimes, as well as law enforcement and court staff handling protective order cases.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates immediate victim notification and court processing for protective orders in domestic violence/stalking cases, strengthening victim safety and court efficiency within criminal justice system.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Victims' Rights

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1622: Crimes and punishments; modifying threshold amounts for certain penalties; effective date.

HB 1622 amends Oklahoma's larceny statute to lower the threshold for misdemeanor penalties when stealing retail or wholesale merchandise. It reduces the value threshold from $1,000 to $500 for first or second convictions, meaning thefts under $500 now carry misdemeanor penalties (up to 30 days jail or $500 fine), while thefts of $500-$2,500 remain felonies. The bill also clarifies that multiple thefts within 180 days can be combined to determine penalties, and requires restitution for victims. This directly affects individuals convicted of retail theft in Oklahoma, altering the severity of penalties based on the stolen property's value.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeLowers theft threshold from $1,000 to $500 for misdemeanors, reducing felony charges for minor thefts - aligns with criminal justice reform by decreasing unnecessary incarceration.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Victims' Rights

Track

vetoed · Oklahoma · House May 29, 2025

HB 1592: Larceny; providing elements of organized retail crime; codification; effective date.

HB 1592 defines "organized retail crime" in Oklahoma, making it a separate offense when two or more specific circumstances occur during retail theft (such as property intended for resale, multiple people acting jointly, using tools to evade detection, or removing anti-shoplifting devices). It sets penalties: up to 5 years in prison or a $1,000 fine for stolen property under $15,000, and up to 8 years in prison or a $1,000 fine for $15,000 or more, plus mandatory restitution. The bill also amends statutes to clarify "pattern of criminal offenses" and recreates the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to study retail theft countermeasures. This law directly affects individuals committing retail theft meeting the defined criteria, with the task force providing policy recommendations until December 2024.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties for organized retail theft (up to 8 years), expands criminalization, and mandates restitution, opposing reform-focused criminal justice policies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Victims' Rights

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 855: Larceny; modifying value threshold for certain misdemeanor and felony offenses. Effective date.

SB 855 modifies Oklahoma's larceny laws for merchandise stolen from retailers or wholesalers by raising value thresholds that determine misdemeanor versus felony charges. It increases the threshold for misdemeanor offenses from $500 to $1,000 for first and second thefts, and for third or subsequent offenses. For felony charges, the bill sets the minimum value at $1,000 (so thefts of $1,000 or more are now felonies, whereas lower values were previously classified as felonies). The bill also requires restitution to victims and allows multiple thefts within 180 days to be combined for sentencing.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill raises larceny misdemeanor threshold to $1000, reducing felony charges for thefts between $500-$999. This aligns with criminal justice reform by reducing non-violent felony convictions.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Sentencing Victims' Rights

Track