‘The System Needs A Lot Of Change:' Former Oklahoma Co. Prosecutor Weighs In On Bail Reform

The shooting of a Cleveland County deputy this month sparked a conversation about bail reform in Oklahoma. One expert said cash bail is really there to ensure a defendant shows up for court.  

Bail can also have a disproportionate effect on certain communities – even for nonviolent offenses. Diversion Hub executive director Meagan Taylor helps people navigate the criminal justice system.   

“We don’t want folks touching the jail if they’re not reoffending,” Taylor said. 

Taylor is a former Oklahoma County prosecutor who believes the criminal justice system can improve. “The system needs a lot of change and it’s not gonna be overnight,” Taylor said. 

Cash bail is one fork in the road. Taylor said public safety is often a secondary priority with cash bail. “At this point, it analyzes more of your risk to not return to court,” Taylor said. 

Violent offenders can get out of jail. “When an individual is released on a cash bond there is less supervision than perhaps going through a pretrial bond supervision model,” Taylor said. 

Taylor also said cash bail can keep nonviolent offenders in jail because they can’t afford to pay. “That doesn’t make the community safer, it actually destabilizes and breaks families up. We want to keep people together,” Taylor said. 

Many of these people end up pleading guilty to charges no matter what. “Because of the conditions at the Oklahoma County Jail, because of the destabilization that occurs, people are desperate, and I don’t blame them, to get out,” Taylor 

said. Taylor said bail reform change will take time, but she believes it’s time to drive this conversation forward.  

Taylor says that transportation and childcare barriers can affect people’s ability to make it to court. Resources like Diversion Hub help eliminate some of those barriers.