CHANGES IN PRISON POLICY COULD SAVE OKLAHOMA $150 MILLION, REPORT SAYS

State government could save up to $150 million by changing policies that
send too many of its citizens to prison for too long, a report said Monday.

The report, written by university researchers, comes as state leaders look
for ways to reduce a record state budget deficit that is threatening
funding for public education and state agencies.

Since the early 1990s, Oklahoma has sent an increasing number of nonviolent
offenders to prison, where they serve longer sentences than they do in
other states, the report said.

It made several recommendations, including reducing the number of felony
crimes, expanding the use of paroles and community sentencing and removing
the governor from the pardon and parole process.

Barry Kinsey, professor of sociology at the University of Tulsa, pointed to
statistics showing a significant increase in the number of drug and alcohol
offenders sent to prison in Oklahoma over the last decade.

The report said Oklahoma law has many felonies that are misdemeanors in
other states, and that contributes to the state being ranked third or
fourth in the country in the percentage of its citizens that wind up in prison.

It recommended Oklahoma take ''a zero-based budgeting approach'' on
felonies, looking for ''compelling public safety reasons to label conduct
as felonious.''

Oklahoma sends more females to prison than any other state, with an
incarceration rate three times the national average, the report said.

That's mainly because so many women are imprisoned for drug, alcohol and
nonviolent offenses, the report said.

The report said Oklahoma is spending an inappropriate amount of money
incarcerating nonviolent offenders. It recommended treatment programs for
drug offenders and probation for others.

It urged lawmakers to change state laws that produce lengthy sentences for
nonviolent offenses such as drug possession and minor theft.

The study was organized by the Oklahoma Alliance for Public Research Inc.,
a consortium led by former Gov. Henry Bellmon. Work on the project was done
by researchers from four universities.

Kinsey was chairman of the group, which also included Kelly Damphousse and
Alexander Holmes of the University of Oklahoma, Kent Olson of Oklahoma
State University and Art LaFrancois of Oklahoma City University.

Other recommendations included:

. Bringing sentencing ranges in line with national averages or with those
in surrounding states.

. Limiting probation revocation to instances where a new crime has been
committed.

. Examining a county allocation system limiting the number of offenders
each county can send to the Department of Corrections.

. Reducing the number of ''deadly sins'' in Oklahoma law that require
offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences.

. Restructuring private prison contracts to put emphasis on performance.