Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
3 HOUSE BILL 2923 By: Pittman
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6 AS INTRODUCED
7 An Act relating to prisoner reentry; creating the
Oklahoma Prisoner Reentry Pilot Program; stating
8 purpose of pilot program; requiring initiation of
pilot program in county with certain population;
9 requiring support for pilot program to be provided by
employees of the Department of Corrections;
10 specifying eligibility requirement; stating duties of
support personnel; providing for individualized
11 reentry plans; itemizing list of potential services
available to inmates; authorizing the Department to
12 enter into public-private partnerships; authorizing
the acceptance of funds from philanthropic
13 organizations and federal grants; requiring an
assessment of the pilot program; directing the
14 Department to annually submit assessment report to
the Governor and Legislature; directing the
15 Department to promulgate policies; providing for
codification; and providing an effective date.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
19 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
20 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 510.8d of Title 57, unless there
21 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
22 A. The State Department of Corrections shall establish the
23 Oklahoma Prisoner Reentry Pilot Program, as funds become available,
24 for inmates under the jurisdiction of the Department who have been
Req. No. 11119 Page 1
1 sentenced to a term of imprisonment and who are likely to benefit
2 from case management reentry strategies designed for the specific
3 needs of inmates transitioning from prison into the community. The
4 purpose of the pilot program shall be to implement evidence-based
5 practices and strategies that promote improved public safety
6 outcomes for inmates reentering society after serving a term of
7 incarceration and while released on parole.
8 B. The pilot program shall be initiated in a county that has a
9 population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000) according to
10 the latest Federal Decennial Census. The pilot program shall be
11 supported by employees of the Department of Corrections focusing
12 primarily on case management services for eligible inmates selected
13 for the pilot program. Any inmate with a medium or high risk of
14 felony arrest shall be eligible for participation in the pilot
15 program.
16 C. Employees of the Department shall assist inmates on parole
17 who are assigned to the pilot program in managing basic needs,
18 including housing, job training and placement, medical and mental
19 health care and any additional programming or responsibilities
20 attendant to the terms of the reentry requirements of the inmate.
21 Employees of the Department shall also work closely with the inmates
22 to prepare, monitor, revise, and fulfill individualized inmate
23 reentry plans consistent with this section during the term of the
24 pilot program.
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1 D. Individualized inmate reentry plans shall focus on
2 connecting inmates to services for which the inmate is eligible
3 under existing federal, state, and local laws.
4 E. Case management services shall be prioritized for inmates
5 identified as potentially benefiting from assistance with the
6 following:
7 1. Food, including the immediate need and long-term planning
8 for obtaining food;
9 2. Clothing, including the immediate need to obtain appropriate
10 clothing;
11 3. Shelter, including the immediate need to obtain housing;
12 4. Benefits including, but not limited to, general assistance,
13 benefits administered by the federal Social Security Administration,
14 state Medicaid program, and veterans benefits;
15 5. Health services, including accessing community mental
16 health, medical, and dental treatment;
17 6. Substance abuse services, including assisting inmates with
18 obtaining community substance abuse treatment or related twelve-step
19 program information and locations;
20 7. Income, including developing and implementing a feasible
21 plan to obtain income and employment reflecting the highest level of
22 work appropriate for the abilities and experience of the inmate;
23 8. Identification cards, including assisting reentering inmates
24 with obtaining driver licenses or state identification cards;
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1 9. Life skills, including assisting with the development of
2 skills concerning money management, interviewing for jobs, resume
3 writing, and activities of daily living;
4 10. Activities, including working with reentering inmates in
5 choosing and engaging in suitable and productive activities;
6 11. Support systems, including working with reentering inmates
7 on developing a support system which may consist of prosocial
8 friends, family, and community groups and activities such as
9 religious activities, recovery groups, and other social events;
10 12. Academic and vocational programs, including assisting
11 reentering inmates in developing and implementing a realistic plan
12 to achieve an academic education, vocational training, or both;
13 13. Discharge planning, including developing post parole plans
14 to sustain the achievements and goals of the reentering inmate to
15 ensure long-term community success; and
16 14. Transitional support services, including transportation
17 services, twenty-four-hour on-call support and conflict resolution
18 support.
19 F. The Department shall be authorized to enter into public-
20 private partnerships to assist in providing higher education
21 programs and reentry services for inmates and funding said programs
22 and services for the pilot program.
23 G. The Department shall be authorized to accept funding for the
24 pilot program from philanthropic organizations or federal grants.
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1 H. The Department shall contract for an evaluation of the pilot
2 program that will assess its effectiveness in reducing recidivism
3 among offenders transitioning from prison into the community.
4 I. The Department shall submit a report of the findings from
5 its evaluation of the pilot program to the Legislature and the
6 Governor annually for as long as the program is funded.
7 J. The State Department of Corrections is hereby authorized to
8 promulgate policies necessary to implement the provisions of this
9 section.
10 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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12 60-1-11119 GRS 12/31/24
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Req. No. 11119 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.