Oklahoma criminal justice

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.

Oklahoma prosecutors will retry former death row inmate Richard Glossip for murder but won't pursue the death penalty, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Monday.

A judge is fining the state for failing to treat mentally ill defendants stuck in county jails. With a court-ordered deadline approaching, public defenders and advocates say the system remains overwhelmed, underfunded and unresponsive.

A legal challenge is expected after Gov. Kevin signed a measure that puts more restrictions on the process voters use to get issues on the ballot.

House Bill 1137, authored by Choctaw citizen Rep. Ronald Stewart, D-Tulsa, was an amendment to Ida's Law, which provided tribal liaisons to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations for MMIP cases. It would've removed the federal funding requirement, allowing the state to fund the office instead.