Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today sent a letter to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requesting an examination into the collection of probation fees by the states’ district attorneys.
The request comes after Humphrey’s own inspection of the process in which he said he “discovered issues that appear very worrisome and possibly illegal.”
At issue is whether probation fees collected by district attorneys must be used for the actual act of supervision during the actual period of time the offender is on supervision, or whether the fee can be collected by the DAs if a third party is used to oversee probation.
Humphrey also takes issue with how the fees are routed through several different funds, which in his opinion is akin to money laundering.
“My fear is that the district attorney’s across the state have illegally collected probation fees for approximately 11 years,” Humphrey said. “The fees have never been applied to the actual act of supervision …. If my calculation is correct, that would mean district attorneys illegally have collected approximately $209 million.”
Humphrey said it’s his desire to ensure district attorneys are funded correctly. This is part of his larger desire to completely overhaul Oklahoma’s criminal justice system.
A copy of the full letter is attached.
