The carceral system includes all of the policies and institutions that the state uses to define criminal activity and punish people for engaging in it.
For decades, Oklahoma imprisoned women at the highest rate in the nation. Incarceration has a far-reaching impact on women and their families, affecting overall health, access to care, and increasing the risk of trauma and further justice-involvement over generations.
Learn how Metriarch partners are making Oklahoma a safer, healthier place for women.
We track legislation that affects women’s health in Oklahoma. Here’s a peek at recent proposals with an impact on the carceral system.
HB 1750 bans all marijuana use during pregnancy.
HB 2248 creates pilot programs for substance use prison diversion in rural areas.
HB 2737 adds marijuana use during pregnancy to child neglect definition.
HB 2990 raises domestic abuse criminal penalties, including violence against a pregnant woman.
HB 3002 adds unborn child (fetus) to the definition of criminal battery.
HB 3013 treats abortion medication like an illegal drug and criminalizes trafficking.
HB 3345 updates post-arrest mental health screening, simplifying assessments and clarifying result use.
HB 3835 expands and clarifies a provision that permits human trafficking survivors to expunge criminal records.
HB 3903 strengthens domestic violence incident reporting and court recordkeeping.
HB 3954 creates a new drug-court program for postpartum women.
HB 4151 strengthens investigations of deaths where domestic violence may be a factor.
SB 1135 adds funding to the Choosing Childbirth Act.
SB 1417 amends the state’s “Failure to Protect” laws to better account for situations in which domestic violence is a factor.
SB 145 requires breastfeeding provisions for lactating inmates.
SB 1470 reforms the sentencing guidelines for survivors of domestic violence.
SB 1540 defines and adds grooming to the Class B6 felony category.
SB 1557 allows previous domestic violence crimes as admissible evidence in relevant cases.
SB 156 expands the penalty for false accusation to equal the crime accused.
SB 1569 clarifies that consensual sexual activity between minors need not be reported as child abuse by medical providers.
SB 1729 bans nearly all abortion and allows murder charges against someone who receives an abortion.
