Oklahoma criminal justice

After serving more than four decades for first-degree murder, Tony Mann is applying for commutation. His younger brother, convicted for the same crime, is getting out of prison later this month.

The medical condition can cause symptoms that confuse first-responders and others, leading to arrests and possible violence during specific types of seizures.

Months after a deal to end a class-action lawsuit over treatment for people with severe mental illness, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health still can't provide an accurate count of how many people are waiting in jail for treatment and for how long, consultants found.

Tom Bates, the executive director of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, announced his resignation this week.

State officials envision drones, call monitoring and AI technologies as the future of Oklahoma prisons, but advocates worry the tools create risks that extend beyond incarceration.

Gov. Kevin Stitt is suing the City of Tulsa, its mayor and its police chief in the Oklahoma Supreme Court over a recent agreement the city made to defer criminal jurisdiction to the Muscogee Nation.

Five years after a landmark ruling that found much of eastern Oklahoma is Indian Country, tribal nations are still fighting with towns over who has jurisdiction to prosecute traffic violations and other municipal charges.

Conflicts of interest and high bond amounts can lead to increased self-representation

Oklahoma Watch, July 2, 2025

Independent consultants cite delays and poor communication from the Department of Mental Health as people with serious mental illness wait in jail for treatment.