The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is the parole board of the state of Oklahoma. The Board was created by an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution in 1944. The Board has the authority to empower the Governor of Oklahoma to grant pardons, paroles, and commutations to people convicted of offenses against the state of Oklahoma.The mission of the Pardon and Parole Board as a vital part of the criminal justice system is to determine the best possible decision, through a case-by-case investigative process and to protect the public while recommending the supervised released of adult felons. Although, in recent years the Board has been mandated to assist with alleviating prison overcrowding, it remains a goal to maintain a low revocation & recidivism rate for the State of Oklahoma.The Constitution grants the Governor the power to grant commutations, pardons and paroles for all offenses against the State upon such conditions and with such restrictions and limitations as they may deem appropriate. However, the Governor can not exercise these powers unless he submits the name of the individual to the Board. The Board will then review the applicant for clemency. The Board is responsible for making an impartial investigation and study of applicants for clemency. If a majority of the Board votes in favor of the clemency, the Governor is empowered to make such acts of clemency for the individual as he deems necessary. Oklahoma is one of only 8 states where the "governor must receive a recommendation from an independent parole board before granting clemency." In the entire history of the state, up to 2021, only 4 clemencies have ever been granted. The Board can only make recommendations to the governor regarding parole in the case of convicts sentenced to death or life imprisonment without parole. However, the Board may recommend commutations and pardons for such offenses. The board's recommendations for parole for non-violent offenses do not require the approval of the Oklahoma Governor, and it becomes final. This is not the case for crimes defined as violent. The Board's authority, however, can not limit the Governor's power to grant, after conviction, reprieves, or leaves of absence not to exceed sixty days without the consent of the Board. In 2015, 4,000 inmates were eligible for parole but the board at the time only recommended 28 offenders for parole and Governor Mary Fallin approved only 6 of those. The board has been sued unsuccessfully in the past for "apparent bias against murderers." The Oklahoma Legislature's passage of HB 1269 in 2019, marked an update to the Board's authority on commutation actions. HB1269 created authority for the Board to establish accelerated, single-stage dockets to consider and recommend commutations to the Governor, provided certain criteria are met. Accelerated dockets are to be composed of cases in which applicants were serving time for felony convictions that had been subsequently reclassified as misdemeanors, and could be considered in mass, rather than solely on an individual basis. The Pardon and Parole Board considered 814 inmates' cases on November 1, 2019, the first day HB1269 became effective. The Board unanimously voted to recommend commutation for 527 Department of Corrections inmates to Governor Kevin Stitt.The action represented the largest number of single-day commutations in the history of the state, nationally according to press reports.
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1709 NW Elm Ave Lawton, OK 73507
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