Sister to Sister Bake Sale!

Sister to Sister Bake Sale, MARCH 12, 2010 COME SEE US AT OLD NAVY
BELLE ISLE STORE, 12:00—4:00 p.m. CONTACT DANITA@OCARTA FOR MORE INFORMATION…..IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP BAKE ON THURSDAY OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS…..

Music Classes Weekly at the Rodeo Oprey

*Music Appreciation

Class– Every Tuesday. Ages 8 and under

3:30-5:00

*Drums Class– Every Thursday. Ages 9 and up,

3:30-5:00

Rally for Recovery!

RALLY FOR RECOVERY!

WHO? – You and OCARTA !

When: April 1st, 2010

Bowling Girl!

March 20th– 12:00– 2:00 Meet at Club Soda cause we’re going Bowling Girl!! Prizes and a whole lot of fun!

Green With Envy!

March  17– 6-8 PM–  Green with Envy-Everything is coming up green! !   No pinching here! Were planting  plants Take one  home!  DON’T FORGET TO WEAR GREEN!

Legislative Action Needed Now!

Greetings All:

You received an earlier communication related to advocacy calls, e-mails and visits to the Capitol to get a hearing on several Criminal Justice reform proposals before the Legislature this year. Below is a list and synopsis of some of the critical criminal justice reform bills proposed.  To date, Senator Anthony Sykes, Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary, is refusing to hear these Bills. The last week to get the bills out of committee is next week.

To be clear, IF EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO SUPPORTS THESE BILLS DOES NOT CALL SEN. SYKES, SEN. COFFEE, OR VISIT THEIR OFFICES—WE WILL LOSE THIS OPPORTUNITY.

CALL Senator Sykes at 405-521-5569, EMAIL sykes@oksenate.gov and/or VISIT his office in the State Capitol, Room 426.

CALL Senator Coffee at 405-521-5636, EMAIL coffee@oksenate.gov and/or VISIT his office in the State Capitol, Room 422.

SAMPLE SCRIPT / STATEMENT:

This is to request that you please hear these Senate Bills in committee next week.  Given the current budget crisis, these proposals can save millions of dollars. Thank you very much for your consideration:

SB 2326 – Creates a measure to require compliance by the Governor with existing law.   Title 57 O.S. § 332.16 provides, “No recommendation to the Governor for parole shall remain under consideration and in the possession of that office for a time longer than thirty (30) days.”  SB 2326 requires that parole is deemed granted if Governor does not act on said recommendation as statutorily required. The MGT Audit indicates a savings of $40 Million in the next ten years by removing the Governor from this process.

Page 2

SB 2329 – Creates a emergency Non-Violent Offender Alternative Placement Program, which provides for placement of persons convicted of non-violent, non-drug property offenses on GPS monitoring, house arrest, early parole supervision and other places as an alternative to in prison beds.  If enacted, this measure will result in a cost savings of at least $118 Million to the State of Oklahoma without measurable impact to public safety.

SB 2328 –Allows enhancement of criminal punishment beyond statutory maximum when an offender has committed two prior violent offenses (21 O.S. § 51.1).

SB 2325 – Disallows “Life without the Possibility of Parole” as a punishment for drug offenses (63 O.S. § 2-415), and provides for numeric sentence re-calculation by the Pardon and Parole Board for the 36 people currently serving LWOP for drug offenses.

A review of these 36 case files demonstrated that these offenders were arbitrarily characterized as drug traffickers, relative to other offenders similarly situated:

a. who are currently or were previously in custody for drug possession of larger

quantities, and/or

b. whose drug activities clearly demonstrated entrepreneurial intent.

SB 2321 – Creates an Office of the Ombudsman as an additional point of review of DOC inmate grievances; categorizes the Office as an administrative remedy; and requires exhaustion before an inmate may bring a tort claim or action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in federal court.  Potentially reduces the need for costly judicial reviews through improved DOC policy compliance in resolving inmate issues.  Such an Office could also help prevent litigation such as Battle v. Anderson and its progeny, which resulted in more than 20 years of federal oversight of Oklahoma’s prisons and the spending of millions in state dollars.

Club Soda

Be sure to join us at Club Soda on Friday Nights for Dancing & Fun. 7- Midnight, Sober Party @ Club Soda!

Club Soda gives individuals a secure and comfortable environment to learn it’s possible to have an enjoyable night out without alcohol or drugs.

Friday evenings 7-Midnight
2808 NW 31st, OKC

The club has a dance floor, karaoke, pool table and plenty of booths and tables.

Call Brandi if you wish to book an event, 405-848-7555

Stories of Recovery

Please share your stories of recovery, or update us on your progress. Please remember, your posts here are visible to the public.

Welcome to OCARTA.org

OCARTA’s mission is to empower recovering people and their families through physical, emotional, and spiritual growth to make significant contributions to society.