Oklahoma’s criminal justice reform efforts must include helping foster kids affected by trauma.
That was the message several witnesses had for the governor’s Reentry, Supervision, Treatment and Opportunity Reform, or RESTORE, Task Force, which is working on recommendations to cut incarceration and recidivism rates.
Ebonie Doyle was born in prison and raised by her great-grandmother, but Doyle ended up in foster care at age 12 after the woman could no longer take care of her. Doyle said she was abused in foster care and fell into prostitution at 15 because a pimp’s attention made her feel loved.
"There is so many hopeless little girls out there that didn’t ask to be in this world and are vulnerable and gullible and naive and just don’t know which way to turn. I hope we can save a whole lot of little Ebonies out there," Doyle said.
Doyle's life started to change when she met Cleveland County Sheriff Todd Gibson. She is now a certified nursing assistant raising three kids.
The RESTORE Task Force's first public meeting was this week. Its subcommittees have already met privately, however, and have several ideas for the task force to shape into policies, like helping kids affected by trauma, connecting offenders with mentors, and making fines and fees less important to court budgets.
Secretary of Public Safety Chip Keating chairs the task force and said their recommendations are due Dec. 6.
"But I’m confident that rational justice reform ideas that get presented to the governor — if the legislature puts them through the legislature — have a real shot at becoming law," Keating said.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is on the task force and said he also wants it to look at Oklahoma’s record keeping, because right now, courts, prisons, prosecutors, public defenders and service agencies don’t know what each other knows.
"We just need to figure out a data collection system so we can share that data across all entities so we can make good decisions for the public so maybe we wouldn’t be wasting as much money as I think we are," Kunzweiler said.
Witnesses also told the task force sentencing reform is a must, along with addressing racial disparities in the justice system.
