Rule Text
The purposes of the Oklahoma Community Sentencing Act are to:
1. Protect the public;
2. Establish a statewide community sentencing system;
3. Adequately supervise offenders punished under a court- ordered community sentence;
4. Provide a series of sanctions to the court for eligible offenders sentenced to a community sentence within the community sentencing system;
5. Increase the availability of punishment and treatment programs to eligible offenders;
6. Improve the criminal justice system within this state through public/private partnerships, reciprocal and interlocal governmental agreements, and interagency cooperation and collaboration; and
7. Operate effectively within the allocation of state and local resources for the criminal justice system.
Amendment history: Added by Laws 1999, 1st Ex.Sess., c. 4, § 3, eff. July 1, 1999. Amended by Laws 2003, c. 341, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2023, c. 79, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2023.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
This law explains why Oklahoma created its Community Sentencing Act. The main goal is to keep the public safe while also giving courts better options for punishing and helping certain offenders who qualify for community-based sentences instead of prison.
The law sets up a statewide system to watch over these offenders and make sure they follow the rules of their sentence. It also aims to give courts more choices for punishment, ranging from strict supervision to treatment programs, depending on what fits the person's situation. This means offenders can get help with things like drug treatment or job training instead of just going to prison.
Finally, the law pushes different groups to work together. This includes government agencies, private organizations, and local communities teaming up to make the criminal justice system work better. The goal is to use money and resources wisely so the whole system runs more smoothly and fairly.
