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
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1244 By: Rader
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to pardons and paroles; amending 57
7 O.S. 2021, Section 332.21, which relates to parole of
8 certain inmates; modifying criteria for certain
8 parole; modifying criteria for certain risk-
9 assessment instrument; requiring the Pardon and
9 Parole Board to place certain inmates on parole
10 docket; requiring granting of certain parole;
10 updating statutory language and reference; and
11 providing an effective date.
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1 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 57 O.S. 2021, Section 332.21, is
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1 5 amended to read as follows:
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16 Section 332.21. A. The Pardon and Parole Board is empowered to
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1 7 parole a prisoner an inmate who:
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18 1. Is sixty (60) years of age or older;
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19 2. Has served, in actual custody, the shorter of ten (10) years
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2 0 of the term or terms of imprisonment, or one-third (1/3) of the
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2 1 total term or terms of imprisonment; and
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22 3. Poses minimal public Does not pose substantial safety risks
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2 3 warranting continued imprisonment;.
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Req. No. 2557 Page 1
1 4. Is not imprisoned for a crime enumerated in Section 13.1 of
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2 Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes or Section 571 of Title 57 of the
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3 Oklahoma Statutes; and
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4 5. Has not been convicted of a crime that would require the
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5 person to be subject to the registration requirements of the Sex
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6 Offenders Registration Act.
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7 B. The authority to grant parole under Section 332.2 of Title
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8 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title shall rest with the Pardon
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9 and Parole Board.
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10 C. The Pardon and Parole Board shall use an evidence-based
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1 1 risk-assessment instrument to assess the public safety risk posed by
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1 2 aging prisoners inmates upon release. Such instrument shall include
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1 3 the health status of the inmates.
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14 D. Unless eligible for release at an earlier date, an aging
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1 5 prisoner inmate who has been committed to the Department of
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1 6 Corrections for a term or terms of imprisonment shall have the
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1 7 ability to request a parole hearing before the Pardon and Parole
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1 8 Board if the prisoner inmate has served, in actual custody, the
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1 9 shorter of:
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20 1. Ten (10) years of the term or terms of actual imprisonment;
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2 1 or
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22 2. One-third (1/3) of the total term or terms of imprisonment.
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Req. No. 2557 Page 2
1 E. Once a prisoner an inmate requests a parole hearing under
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2 subsection A of this section, the Pardon and Parole Board may shall
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3 place the prisoner inmate on the next available docket.
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4 F. The Pardon and Parole Board may shall grant parole to a
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5 prisoner an inmate if the Board finds by a preponderance of the
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6 evidence that the prisoner inmate, if released, can live and remain
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7 at liberty without posing a substantial risk to public safety.
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8 G. The Pardon and Parole Board may shall use the selected
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9 evidence-based risk-assessment instrument to make the determination
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1 0 provided for in subsection F of this section.
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11 H. The Pardon and Parole Board may provide the prisoner inmate
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1 2 the opportunity to speak on his or her own behalf and the option of
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1 3 having counsel present at the parole hearing.
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14 I. For purposes of this section:
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15 1. "Aging prisoner" "Aging inmate" means any person imprisoned
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1 6 by the Department of Corrections who is sixty (60) years of age or
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1 7 older; and
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18 2. "Evidence-based" means programs or practices that have been
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1 9 scientifically tested in controlled studies and proven to be
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2 0 effective.
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21 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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23 60-2-2557 CN 12/15/2025 2:14:21 PM
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Req. No. 2557 Page 3Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.