Oklahoma

Bill giving domestic abuse survivors sentencing relief advances in Oklahoma Senate

Published

1 month ago

March 16, 2024

Bill giving domestic abuse survivors sentencing relief advances in Oklahoma Senate

If someone commits a crime, one basic goal of investigators and the court is to find out why — and learn what factors controlled the situation.

As of this week, Oklahoma is on a path to consider whether a person’s exposure to domestic abuse could be a mitigating factor that affects how the state punishes them for committing that crime.

Senate Bill 1470, which advanced unanimously in the Oklahoma Senate on Thursday, doesn’t directly influence whether someone can be charged or prosecuted. Instead, details of a domestic abuse survivor’s personal history can be used to reduce their sentence.

“We are stating a policy in Oklahoma that domestic violence, physical abuse and sexual violence is unacceptable. Our levels are disparagingly high, and we must address that,” said the bill’s author and Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

A similar bill passed through the House of Representatives last year but stalled late in session.

‘Oklahoma is in the midst of a domestic violence crisis’

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about half of Oklahoma women experience domestic violence in their lifetime. The same study found that 41% of men are also survivors of abuse that can include physical violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner.

“Oklahoma is in the midst of a domestic violence crisis, ranking first in the country in the perpetration of domestic violence and third in domestic homicides. At the same time, Oklahoma’s legal system is structured to punish survivors who defend themselves,” said Tara Tyler, executive director of Ponca City’s Survivor Resource Network. “The Oklahoma Survivors Act is a beacon of hope for domestic abuse survivors across the state.”

There are multiple cases of women in Oklahoma charged with murder, but who claim they killed an abuser because they feared for their life. April Wilkens is one of those women, currently serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

More: Oklahoma remains among highest in nation in domestic violence homicides, report says

In an op-ed written for The Oklahoman last year, Wilkens said she shot her ex-fiancé after he handcuffed her, raped her and threatened to kill her.

“As he lunged toward me, I shot him with one of his own guns and could not stop firing until the gun was empty. He was shot eight times. Later that day, a sexual assault nurse documented my numerous injuries, including bruises all over my body and vaginal tears,” Wilkens wrote.

The prosecution claimed her injuries happened during consensual sex. Since starting her life sentence 24 years ago, she’s been denied parole four times and two commutation requests were refused.

The proposed law doesn’t apply to sentencing for sex crimes, elder neglect or child abuse. It also can’t be used by those who have received the death penalty.

Bill also could affect those currently in prison

Along with guiding courts on how to sentence people in newly prosecuted crimes, those who are already in prison will be able to petition the court to examine their sentence in this new light, people like Wilkens.

“It is incredibly important that we embrace trauma-informed sentencing,” said state Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City. “I think it is incredibly important that we continue to recognize that Oklahoma has the highest rate of domestic violence and domestic abuse, and that individuals who could currently be serving terms have been impacted by their abusers — and yet our criminal justice system is not giving them adequate support to overcome their traumatic pasts. I think that this is an incredible step forward.”

While trauma-informed sentencing has been discussed in justice reform circles for a long time, legislatures have been slow to enact these kinds of reforms. If Oklahoma’s bill becomes law, it would be only the second state in the nation behind New York, which enacted its own domestic violence survivor’s law in 2019.

“I think the universal support around this from everyone really shows that we can do reforms that make sense and that truly benefits the public and the interest of justice,” said Alexandra Bailey, senior campaign strategist for the The Sentencing Project, a national advocacy organization. “This should be a very proud moment for Oklahoma.”

Source link

Click to comment

Oklahoma

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: How to watch, schedule, live stream info, start time, TV channel

Published

4 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: How to watch, schedule, live stream info, start time, TV channel

3rd Quarter Report

The Thunder are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Pelicans 85-69.

The Thunder entered the match having won seven straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it eight, or will the Pelicans step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans

Regular Season Records: Oklahoma City 57-25, New Orleans 49-33

Current Series Standings: Oklahoma City 2, New Orleans 0

How To Watch

When: Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: TNT
Follow: CBS Sports App
Ticket Cost: $21.84

What to Know

The Thunder have enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. On Saturday, they will fight it out against the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference playoff matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center. The Thunder are the slight favorite, but fans should be in for an exciting match likely to go down to the wire.

The Thunder will head into Wednesday’s game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they only won by two when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 32-point they dealt the Pelicans on Wednesday. Everything went the Thunder’s way against the Pelicans as the Thunder made off with a 124-92 win.

The Thunder’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 33 points along with five assists and two steals. Gilgeous-Alexander had some trouble finding his footing against the Pelicans on Sunday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Chet Holmgren, who scored 26 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.

The Thunder are sitting pretty at the moment, as they lead the series with the Pelicans 2-0. Check back on CBS Sports after the game to see if the Thunder can extend their lead or if the Pelicans can make up some ground.

Odds

Oklahoma City is a slight 1-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1-point spread, and stayed right there.

The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 209.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Oklahoma City has won 6 out of their last 10 games against New Orleans.

Apr 24, 2024 – Oklahoma City 124 vs. New Orleans 92
Apr 21, 2024 – Oklahoma City 94 vs. New Orleans 92
Mar 26, 2024 – Oklahoma City 119 vs. New Orleans 112
Jan 26, 2024 – Oklahoma City 107 vs. New Orleans 83
Nov 01, 2023 – New Orleans 110 vs. Oklahoma City 106
Apr 12, 2023 – Oklahoma City 123 vs. New Orleans 118
Mar 11, 2023 – Oklahoma City 110 vs. New Orleans 96
Feb 13, 2023 – New Orleans 103 vs. Oklahoma City 100
Dec 23, 2022 – New Orleans 128 vs. Oklahoma City 125
Nov 28, 2022 – New Orleans 105 vs. Oklahoma City 101

Source link

Oklahoma

Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Looks to Take First Road Game in New Orleans

Published

11 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Looks to Take First Road Game in New Orleans

Following a dog fight throughout Game 1, Oklahoma City controlled things for nearly the entire contest in Game 2 over the Pelicans.

From just a two-point win to a 32-point blowout, it was quite the stark contrast between the two games for the Thunder, and it came on the offensive front.

Converting shots that weren’t able to fall and also getting a bit better looks from the field, the Thunder’s ability to shoot 48.3% from three on 29 tries and 59.0% overall elevated them to that level of play on Wednesday night, as well as a huge game from rookie Chet Holmgren.

Now headed to Bourbon Street for their first game in New Orleans in this series, Oklahoma City looks to close things outright in the next two games and head back home for some rest rather than a Game 5.

Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17)

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

ODDS:

The Thunder enter the day as 1.5-point favorites against the Pelicans, and the total over/under is 209.5 points.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Against a team on the road who has already proven their ability to rally and scrap throughout a full 48 minutes, Oklahoma City will surely look to get out ahead quickly and curb any possible momentum from accruing on the New Orleans side.

Limiting CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram as volume scorers will certainly be a point of emphasis as it has been so far in the series. But behind a home crowd and playoff environment, it’s more important on the road to diminish their confidence and lock them down while they can’t build a raucous crowd.

On the Oklahoma City side, another big game will be needed from Holmgren to minimize the impact of Jonas Valanciunas, both on the boards and as an interior scorer. From Game 1 to Game 2, Holmgren made a strong improvement on that front, cutting down his rebounding numbers from 20 to just seven between those two contests.

Lastly, a proficient shooting day should be in the works for Mark Daigneault’s squad if he hopes to take this first one on the road, as it was shown the impact it had on the outcome of Game 2. 3-point shooting from all around will be needed, like this team has shown it’s able to do.

RECORDS:

Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)

INJURIES:

Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.

WHEN:

Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 2:30 PM CT

LOCATION:

Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA

TV/RADIO:

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

Live Stream: fuboTV (Start Your Free Trial)

FINAL WORD:

Oklahoma City will need to punch New Orleans in the mouth to begin this game on Saturday afternoon, and limit any chances of the Pelicans feeding off of a booming crowd.

The Thunder will hope to take Game 3 before looking for a possible sweep in Game 4 on Monday.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.m

Source link

Oklahoma

Indiana Running Back Transfer Trent Howland Commits to Oklahoma State

Published

18 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Press Room

Indiana Running Back Transfer Trent Howland Commits to Oklahoma State

The Cowboys got a late-night commit.

Indiana transfer running back Trent Howland took a visit to Oklahoma State this week, and he apparently enjoyed it. Howland announced his commitment to the Cowboys in the waning hours of Friday night. A redshirt sophomore this past season with the Hoosiers, Howland is listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and rushed for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2023. He should have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Howland was also considering Ole Miss, Duke and UCF, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Out of Joliet, Illinois, Howland was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He chose Indiana over offers from Iowa State, Nebraska, Minnesota and others out of high school.

Howland entered the transfer portal in November and initially made a commitment to Minnesota before a change of heart. He then re-entered the portal in April — leading him to Stillwater.

He becomes the second portal running back the Cowboys have taken this offseason, joining Arkansas transfer AJ Green. Howland continues what has become a trend of the Cowboys going after big, bruising backs. Ollie Gordon is listed at 6-2, 215, and the Cowboys picked up Jaden Allen-Hendrix from the high school ranks, who OSU listed at 6-2, 225 on signing day.

Howland’s best performance of the past season came in a November game against Michigan State, where he rushed 19 times for 77 yards and a score. He also had a 13-carry, 72-yard performance against Illinois.

He played nine games for the Hoosiers during the 2022 season, playing both running back and linebacker, primarily playing special teams. That year, he rushed for 12 yards on only two attempts. As a true freshman in 2021, Howland carried six times for 20 yards, redshirting while playing three games.

Howland could provide a release valve for Gordon in the carry department. Gordon carried 285 times in 2023, the eighth-most in program history. Only Gordon and Chuba Hubbard have had 280 carries in a season at OSU since 1996. Lightening Gordon’s load was a topic Mike Gundy touched on earlier this spring.

“We have a lot of carries for another back,” Gundy said. “The 30 carry a game for Ollie is somewhat concerning. Perfect world would be 20 to keep him healthy throughout for us and his career. He had to carry the load last year, moreso than what we’d like. There’s enough carries to go around.”

Picking up Howland could also be a good move for the future. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and many early projections have Gordon as one of (if not the) top available running backs for next year’s NFL Draft. Green has just one season of eligibility remaining. So even past him potentially playing a role in 2024, grabbing Howland now could set the Pokes up nicely in 2025.

Source link