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Oklahoma Survivors Act review leads to release; lawmakers highlight reentry supports
Summary
Lawmakers told the House that a judge found a woman eligible under the Oklahoma Survivors Act, resulting in her release after a Jan. 8 hearing; advocates and a state lawmaker highlighted reentry services including the RISE program.
Representative Williams told the Oklahoma House of Representatives that a judge on Jan. 8 found a woman identified in the session as Lisa eligible for relief under the Oklahoma Survivors Act, leading to her release from a life sentence.
The law, Williams said, was passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor last year and "went into effect, I believe, in November." Williams said the courtroom decision allowed Lisa to leave custody that afternoon and reunite with family after decades in prison: "she had earned her freedom as a result of the legislation that we passed." Representative Williams added, "I believe in forgiveness because I've had to be forgiven. And I believe that people can change because I've changed. And I believe that we all need a second chance in life."
The outcome followed a hearing on Jan. 8, Williams said, during which counsel and advocates presented the case to the judge. Williams credited Colleen McCarty of the nonprofit Appleseed and local counsel Jerry Cloves (identified in the session as local counsel) with working on the case. Representative Roberts, speaking after Williams, told the chamber, "Welcome to the free world," referring to the person freed.
Advocates who appeared on the second floor of the Capitol and in the House chamber also highlighted community supports for people leaving prison. Dee Looper, who spoke to the chamber as a representative of the RISE reentry program, described services the group provides — transitional housing, education and employment support — and said RISE "has 0 recidivism," a claim Looper attributed to the program's results.
Williams described the release as the first case in which an individual benefited from the Survivors Act in the manner he recounted, saying the decision allowed a long-separated family to share a meal that same afternoon. He said the law created a mechanism to revisit limited categories of long sentences and that the case demonstrated that provision being applied in court.
The House session included praise for local counsel, community groups and faith-based supporters who attended the hearing, and lawmakers urged continued support for reentry programs. Representative Williams and others commended organizations such as Appleseed and RISE for their roles in representing and assisting people leaving incarceration.
No committee action or legislative amendment was taken during the floor statements, and lawmakers did not vote on the Survivors Act during the session. Lawmakers instead used the floor time to recognize the case outcome, thank counsel and advocates, and note ongoing reentry resources available to returning citizens.
