“Community Sentencing in Oklahoma: Offenders Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression.”

Source: (2001) University of Tulsa law Review. vol. 36 Summer.

The purpose of the Act is to protect the public in a cost-effective community sentencing system that utilizes a broad spectrum of supervised sanctions to treat both the criminogenic and social needs of the eligible offender while they remain in the community. “Community sentencing, while a new concept in Oklahoma, was not new nation-wide. “The Actâ€? is a user friendly overview of community sentencing in Oklahoma. The offender becomes the responsibility of the local administrator, but may be supervised, based upon the conditions of the community sentence, by the Department of Corrections, a local community sentencing system qualified provider, or any qualified person or entity designated by the court. The community sentencing system is in its infancy in Oklahoma. Unlike many other jurisdictions, in Oklahoma, community sentencing is a discretional tool to be applied only to eligible offenders by the judge. Community sentencing as a crime resolution tool in Oklahoma will be determined by a demonstrated reduction in recidivism of its offender “graduateâ€?. Parallel to this system-offender link, is the crucial need for organized and efficient collaboration among the community sentencing system entities- district attorney, supervising entity, treatment providers, and the court- as guided by the local administrator.