Commission Recommends Examining Prison Rate, Sex Offender Laws

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission is making recommendations it hopes will reduce the state's growing prison population and addressing problems with the state's sex offender

Thursday, December 14th 2006, 5:48 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission is making recommendations it hopes will reduce the state's growing prison population and addressing problems with the state's sex offender laws.

The commission wants the state Legislature to consider limiting the length of revoked sentences to two years and to revise the mandatory life-without-parole sentence for drug traffickers who have two prior drug offenses.

Also -- experts told commissioners the restrictive nature of the state's sex offender laws are forcing many sex offenders to either move out of urban areas to rural areas or not register at all.

Among the commission's recommendations are for the Legislature look into a tiered system for sex offenders based on a calculated risk of re-offending. The commission is also asking for changes in how near schools and playgrounds registered sex offenders can live.