Authors For 'Sarah Stitt Act' Aim To Give Prisoners A Level Playing Field Upon Release

The state legislature is in session through the end of May, which means bills like the Sarah Stitt Act were awaiting Gov. Kevin Stitt's stamp of approval.

News On 6 spoke with those who authored the bill to break down what the passing of House Bill 1679 could mean for incarcerated Oklahomans ready to reenter society.

House Bill 1679 requires the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to identify inmates leaving custody within nine months of release and begin gathering documentation crucial for post-incarceration employment.

The Justice Department said Oklahoma holds the second-highest incarceration rate in the U.S., but state legislators hope to change the narrative.

"Previously, when someone would come out of incarceration in our great state, they may have a bus ticket to where they come from," Rep. Brian Hill (R-Mustang) said.

Representatives Brian Hill and Marilyn Stark have spent years focusing on criminal justice reform. Their legislation was carried in the Senate by state Sen. Darrell Weaver.

Gov. Stitt signed the Sarah Stitt Act into law Wednesday afternoon.

"We start them out in a hole,” Rep. Stark said. “Let's at least start them out on a level playing field.”

"Let's save millions of dollars a year by helping people not go back to bad habits,” Rep. Hill said. “But let's help them get into a healthy cycle of working, paying taxes, becoming contributing citizens.” 

Inmates will receive a 4-year state ID, birth certificate, Social Security card, vocational training records, work records, resumes and undergo a mock interview.

"If, while incarcerated, they worked on becoming a mechanic, a plumber, a cosmetologist in cosmetology, we want to make sure they've got the certificate," Rep. Hill said. 

Hill and Stark believe this is how you break the cycle.

"It gives hope to the individuals and to the community, that these people and their families, that they won't go back,” Rep. Stark said. “That they will be able to make it on the outside and they'll have a purpose and really play a part in their family's lives. And hopefully change their tree.”

The Sarah Stitt Act passed unanimously in both chambers.