Law enforcement officers and prosecutors have to spend many hours to obtain convictions or plea agreements only to see these people turned loose in less than two years. This problem is not unique to the Tri-County area. It is statewide. We are supposed to have tougher sentencing laws, and these convicts should be spending more time in prison. These are shining examples of how the system remains a revolving door.
Some jails are considerably over capacity.
Some prisoners are waiting to head to prison, apparently only to serve a short time, unless it's a capital crime. Oklahoma's correctional system continues to need overhauling. Some corrections personnel got substantial raises from the legislature in the just-concluded session. That is a plus. However, the state needs to figure out whether incarceration is to mean something and serve as a deterrent to crime or if it's to remain the same revolving door that it is today.