A group using public data to show how Oklahoma’s justice system works goes live with a tool offering the most up-to-date look at the state’s prison population.
The Oklahoma DOC Tracker uses weekly data from the Department of Corrections to show the state’s population counts and compare its incarceration rate to other states’ and the national average. Open Justice Oklahoma Director Ryan Gentzler said the tracker also shows facility overcrowding.
"There are some facilities across the state that are holding over twice as many people as the facility was designed for. So, this is an ongoing emergency, and this tool is out there to drive home that emergency," Gentzler said.
As of Monday, Oklahoma had about 26,000 people in public and private prisons, and the state's incarceration rate is currently second in the United States to Louisiana when it comes to prisons only.
"To get out of the top five, we have to reduce our prison population by about 5,000 people — our current population is about 26,000 — and to get to the national average, we’re looking at about a 40% reduction. So, about 10,000 fewer people in prison," Gentzler said. "So, it’s a very tall order."
