Frank Urbanic

On November 6, 2018, voters in Oklahoma passed Marsy's Law (State Question 794). This constitutional amendment grants stronger constitutional rights for crime victims. It gives them more information and input during the criminal justice process. The goal of Marsy's law is to ensure that crime victims have the same rights as the accused and convicted. The entire text of Article … [Read more...] about Marsy’s Law – 2018 Oklahoma Laws #30

This change in law added new responsibilities for teachers and midwives in the reporting of child abuse. New Teacher Responsibilities Every teacher of any child under the age 18 having reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 is a victim of abuse or neglect must report the matter immediately to the Department of Human Services. Reports must be made to the … [Read more...] about Duty to Report Abuse or Neglect of Child-2018 Oklahoma Laws #24

The eligibility for drug court expanded under this legislation. HB 2881 amended 22 O.S. §§ 471.2-471.4. The changes went into effect on November 1, 2018. The opportunity for review of an offender for a drug court program may now happen at any time prior to the disposition of the case and sentencing of the offender. This includes sentencing on a petition to revoke a suspended … [Read more...] about Drug Court Eligibility Expanded-2018 Oklahoma Laws #20

The eligibility for electronic monitoring of inmates in Oklahoma has increased. The electronic monitoring program is for inmates in the custody of the Department of Corrections who are sentenced for a nonviolent offense. The electronic monitoring program requires active supervision of the inmate in a community setting with monitoring by a global positioning device. An inmate … [Read more...] about Electronic Monitoring Eligibility-2018 Laws #19

These bills affected several Youthful Offender statutes. Changes included representation of a youthful offender, youthful offender preliminary hearing, the length of time a youthful offender could be under the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and the deferral of delinquency proceedings. They went into effect on November 1, 2018. Representation of a Youthful … [Read more...] about Juveniles & Youthful Offenders – 2018 Oklahoma Laws #16