§ 22-991b — Revocation of suspended sentence – Intermediate sanction

process – Technical violations. A. Whenever a sentence has been suspended by the court after conviction of a person for any crime, the suspended sentence of the person may not be revoked, in whole or part, for any cause unless a petition setting forth the grounds for such revocation is filed by the district attorney with the clerk of the sentencing court and competent evidence justifying the revocation of the suspended sentence is presented to the court at a hearing to be held for that purpose within twenty (20) days after the entry of the plea of not guilty to the petition, unless waived by both the state and the defendant. The State of Oklahoma may dismiss the petition without prejudice one time upon good cause shown to the court, provided that any successor petition must be filed within forty-five (45) days of the date of the dismissal of the petition. B. Whenever a sentence has been suspended by the court after conviction of a person for any crime, the suspended sentence of the person may not be revoked in whole for a technical violation unless a petition setting forth the grounds for such revocation is filed by the district attorney with the clerk of the sentencing court and competent evidence justifying the revocation of the suspended sentence is presented to the court at a hearing to be held for that purpose within twenty (20) days after the entry of the plea of not guilty to the petition, unless waived by both the state and the defendant. The State of Oklahoma may dismiss the petition without prejudice one time upon good cause shown to the court; provided, that any successor petition must be filed within forty-five (45) days of the date of the dismissal of the petition. Any revocation of a suspended sentence based on a technical violation shall not exceed six (6) months for a first revocation and five (5) years for a second or subsequent revocation. C. "Technical violation" as used in this section means a violation of the court-imposed rules and conditions of probation, other than: 1. Committing or being arrested for a new crime; 2. Attempting to falsify a drug screen, or three or more failed drug or alcohol screens within a three-month period; 3. Failing to pay restitution; 4. Tampering with an electronic monitoring device; 5. Failing to initially report or missing assigned reporting requirements for an excess of sixty (60) days; 6. Unlawfully contacting a victim, codefendant or criminal associates; 7. Five or more separate and distinct technical violations within a ninety-day period; or 8. Any violation of the Specialized Sex Offender Rules. D. 1. The Department of Corrections shall develop a matrix of technical violations and sanctions to address violations committed by persons who are being supervised by the Department. The Department shall be authorized to use a violation response and intermediate sanction process based on the sanction matrix to apply to any technical violations of probationers. Within four (4) working days of the discovery of the violation, the probation officer shall initiate the violation response and intermediate sanction process. The sentencing judge may authorize any recommended sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to: short-term jail or lockup, day treatment, program attendance, community service, outpatient or inpatient treatment, monetary fines, curfews, ignition interlock devices on vehicles, or a one- time referral to a term of confinement of six (6) months in an intermediate revocation facility operated by the Department of Corrections; provided, upon approval of the district attorney, a person may be sanctioned to serve additional terms of confinement in an intermediate revocation facility. The probation officer shall complete a sanction form, which shall specify the technical violation, sanction, and the action plan to correct the noncompliant behavior resulting in the technical violation. The probation officer shall refer to the sanctioning matrix to determine the supervision, treatment, and sanctions appropriate to address the noncompliant behavior. The probation officer shall refer the violation information and recommended response with a sanction plan to the Department of Corrections to be heard by a hearing officer. The Department of Corrections shall develop a sanction matrix, forms, policies and procedures necessary to implement this provision. The Department of Corrections shall establish procedures to hear responses to technical violations and review sanction plans including the following: a. hearing officers shall report through a chain of command separate from that of the supervising probation officers, b. the Department shall provide the offender written notice of the violation, the evidence relied upon, and the reason the sanction was imposed, c. the hearing shall be held unless the offender waives the right to the hearing, d. hearings shall be electronically recorded, and e. the Department shall provide to judges and district attorneys a record of all violations and actions taken pursuant to this subsection. 2. The hearing officer shall determine based on a preponderance of the evidence whether a technical violation occurred. Upon a finding that a technical violation occurred, the hearing officer may order the offender to participate in the recommended sanction plan or may modify the plan. Offenders who accept the sanction plan shall sign a violation response sanction form, and the hearing officer shall then impose the sanction. Failure of the offender to comply with the imposed sanction plan shall constitute a violation of the rules and conditions of supervision that may result in a revocation proceeding. If an offender does not voluntarily accept the recommended sanction plan, the Department shall either impose the sanction and allow the offender to appeal to the district court, or request a revocation proceeding as provided by law. Every administrative hearing and sanction imposed by the Department shall be appealable to the district court. 3. Absent a finding of willful nonpayment by the offender, the failure of an offender to pay fines and costs may not serve as a basis for revocation, excluding restitution. E. 1. Where one of the grounds for revocation is the failure of the defendant to make restitution as ordered, the Department of Corrections shall forward to the district attorney all information pertaining to the failure of the defendant to make timely restitution as ordered by the court, and the district attorney shall file a petition setting forth the grounds for revocation. 2. The defendant ordered to make restitution can petition the court at any time for remission or a change in the terms of the order of restitution if the defendant undergoes a change of condition which materially affects the ability of the defendant to comply with the order of the court. 3. At the hearing, if one of the grounds for the petition for revocation is the failure of the defendant to make timely restitution as ordered by the court, the court will hear evidence and if it appears to the satisfaction of the court from such evidence that the terms of the order of restitution create a manifest hardship on the defendant or the immediate family of the defendant, the court may cancel all or any part of the amount still due, or modify the terms or method of payment; provided, however, the court shall continue to prioritize an order for payments of restitution to the victim. Provided, if the court determines that a reduction in the restitution still due is warranted, the court shall equally apply the same percentage reduction to any court-ordered monetary obligation owed by the defendant including, but not limited to, fines, court costs and costs of incarceration. F. The court may revoke a portion of the sentence and leave the remaining part not revoked, but suspended for the remainder of the term of the sentence, and under the provisions applying to it. The person whose suspended sentence is being considered for revocation at the hearing shall have the right to be represented by counsel, to present competent evidence in his or her own behalf and to be confronted by the witnesses against the defendant. Any order of the court revoking the suspended sentence, in whole or in part, shall be subject to review on appeal, as in other appeals of criminal cases. Provided, however, that if the crime for which the suspended sentence is given was a felony, the defendant may be allowed bail pending appeal. If the reason for revocation be that the defendant committed a felony, the defendant shall not be allowed bail pending appeal. G. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections A and B of this section, when the suspended sentence of a person is being considered for revocation for an offense where the penalty has subsequently been lowered to a misdemeanor, the sentence shall be modified to a term that does not exceed the current maximum sentence.

Legislative History

Added by Laws 1969, c. 57, § 1. Amended by Laws 1972, c. 132, § 1, emerg. eff. April 7, 1972; Laws 1976, c. 160, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 1976; Laws 1978, c. 128, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1978; Laws 1994, c. 320, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1997, c. 133, § 71, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 1999, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 5, § 22, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2002, c. 460, § 19, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2005, c. 374, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2012, c. 228, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2012; Laws 2016, c. 33, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2016; Laws 2018, c. 128, § 11, eff. Nov. 1, 2018; Laws 2019, c. 459, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2019; Laws 2025, c. 306, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2025. NOTE: Laws 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 2, § 23 amended the effective date of Laws 1997, c. 133, § 71 from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.