2026 Wins: Celebrating Three Major Smart Justice Laws in Oklahoma
More than 350,000 Oklahomans will benefit from JAN-backed laws signed by Governor Stitt.
This year, Governor Kevin Stitt signed three Justice Action Network-backed criminal justice reform bills into law that deliver transformative progress for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans.
Together, these laws will expand access to second chances, improve hearings regarding a defendant’s ability to pay fines and fees, and shine a light on the use of incarceration for unpaid court debt, laying the groundwork for even smarter reforms ahead.
The major legislative progress made in Oklahoma this year shows support for smart justice reform is stronger than ever. Even more exciting, the lawmakers we worked with didn’t just sponsor these criminal justice bills, they made them a top legislative priority.
Let’s dive into the three JAN-supported bills that became law this year in Oklahoma and why they’re so important:
1. Clean Slate Implementation: Clearing the Path to a Fresh Start for 350,000 Oklahomans
One of the most impactful reforms signed into law this year was Senate Bill 2030.
Sponsored by Sen. Adam Pugh (R) and Rep. Nicole Miller (R), SB 2030 brings Oklahoma one step closer to delivering real second chances through a clear, efficient, and automated record-sealing process that people can actually rely on.
The bill addresses technical issues with Oklahoma’s Clean Slate law enacted in 2022 and requires courts to begin automatically expunging eligible records in 2029.
The projected impact of a fully automated Clean Slate law is enormous: more than 350,000 Oklahomans with eligible low-level criminal records could have their records sealed. By expediting the way to record sealing, the law can help people access jobs, housing, education, and the economic opportunities they need to build a more stable future.
A criminal record can create barriers that persist long after someone has completed their sentence and has moved on with their lives. Clean Slate tackles one of those barriers head-on by making access to expungement automatic and free, rather than by petition, which is slow, cumbersome, and can come at a staggering cost.
Thanks to this bill, eligible Oklahomans will soon have a real opportunity to leave their mistakes in the past instead of continuing to be defined by them.
We were proud to work alongside a strong coalition of advocates, including the Clean Slate Initiative, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, and Right on Crime, to coordinate outreach and advocacy and help build momentum for the bill’s passage.
2. Shedding a Light on How Arrests and Incarceration are Used for Court Debt Enforcement
House Bill 3321, championed by Rep. Mike Osburn (R) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R), brings much-needed transparency to the use of cost arrest warrants by requiring county-level data on when, why, and how often people are arrested or incarcerated for unpaid court debt. An initial report is required to be published by November, and will continue annually.
We know this practice is happening in Oklahoma. What we don’t yet know is how widespread it is. Working with legal experts in Oklahoma this year, JAN identified roughly 100 people held in a single county jail between 2023 and early 2026 on cost arrest warrants. These individuals were not held because they committed a new crime. Instead, they were arrested and jailed for having unpaid court debt.
The resulting data from this law will give lawmakers the roadmap they need to determine where reform is most urgently needed to curb, or ideally end, the use of incarceration as an enforcement tool for court debt.
We brought this issue to Rep. Mike Osburn, whose original bill would have ended the use of cost arrest warrants and incarceration for unpaid court debt altogether, making Oklahoma among the first states in the nation to take that step. While the final version focuses on transparency, data collection, and annual reporting, ending incarceration as a tool for collecting court debt remains a key priority for JAN, and we believe the data will build an even stronger case for action in the years ahead.
We’re incredibly grateful to Rep. Osburn for his leadership, persistence, and commitment to getting this important reform across the finish line.
3. Streamlining Ability to Pay Hearings
The final JAN-supported bill signed into law by Governor Stitt this year is House Bill 4237, which allows Oklahoma courts to more effectively evaluate an individual’s financial circumstances when assessing fines and fees.
Sponsored by Rep. Chris Kannady (R) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R), the legislation requires Oklahoma courts to give defendants the option of having an ability-to-pay hearing at the time of sentencing to determine a defendant’s ability to pay before assessing fines and fees.
Why it Matters: When these hearings happen earlier, fewer people fall through the cracks and face financial obligations they cannot realistically afford.
Celebrating Wins & Keeping the Momentum Moving
We’re incredibly proud of these three major wins in Oklahoma and are grateful to have worked alongside strong Republican legislative champions, national and in-state advocates and partners, and our on-the-ground consultants at A&A Advocates to deliver reforms that will impact hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans in the years to come.
The wins this session are also a testament to legislative relationships JAN has built, prioritized, and centered in our work over the last decade in Oklahoma. When JAN started working in Oklahoma in 2016, smart justice reform was in its infancy. Ten years later, the lawmakers we worked with this year – who happen to all be Republicans – not only sponsored smart justice reform bills, but made them their top legislative priority.
Our team looks forward to building on this momentum and continuing to help advance commonsense policies that make Oklahoma safer, fairer, and more prosperous in the years to come.
