Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/series/prisoners-of-debt/)
Thousands of ex-offenders in Oklahoma fail to pay what they owe on court fines and fees each year, risking a return to prison or jail. One ex-inmate struggling to pay court costs decided to take a bold step to solve the problem.
Nonprofit groups with operations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa provide a transition for offenders leaving prison and jail and trying to re-enter society.
Offenders released from prison or jail must often pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to get their driver’s license restored.
A joint investigation by Oklahoma Watch and KGOU Radio exposes the often steep fines and fees imposed by the criminal justice system on prison and jail inmates and their families.
Oklahoma Watch reporters M. Scott Carter and Clifton Adcock joined Kris Steele, executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry, in talking with Kelly Dyer Fry, editor of The Oklahoman, about the “Prisoners of Debt” series.
Family members of Oklahoma prisoners say the state and counties are allowing private inmate banking firms to charge exorbitant fees for depositing money into inmates’ accounts.
Families of inmates in Oklahoma prisons and jails say they are being gouged with fees for talking by phone with offenders. The FCC is moving to rein in the charges, but state and local officials warn of consequences.
After voters approved a law making it difficult to increase taxes, the Legislature, state agencies and courts turned more to fees and fines as a way to help pay for state operations.
The case of Michael Harveson of Oklahoma City shows how confusion and bad decisions can keep an offender behind on paying court costs, despite efforts at times to make good on the debt.
Thousands of Oklahomans convicted of non-violent crimes, especially drug offenses, face fines and fees that are difficult, if not impossible, to pay off.