By Yana Singhal
TULSA, OK – A progressive prosecutor group last week strongly criticized reported plans by Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler to circumvent the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act by requiring survivors of domestic violence to waive their rights.
Fair and Just Prosecution Acting Co-Executive Director Amy Fettig noted how the DA document includes “a provision that explicitly waives any right to raise a future claim under the new law’s provisions in exchange for a plea agreement – a clear violation of the spirit of the law, and the will of Oklahoma’s elected representatives.”
Fettig added the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act “passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to provide justice for survivors of domestic violence who were harshly sentenced for actions directly tied to their abuse, and to prevent unduly harsh sentences from occurring in the future.”
Fettig insists the Act “provides a vital pathway for survivors to present evidence of their abuse in court and receive fairer sentencing as a result.”
The DA’s waiver, according to Fair and Just Prosecution, “appears to be designed to coerce survivors of domestic violence to relinquish their rights under the new law in exchange for a plea agreement” which would “clearly violate the intent of the legislation, which was designed to provide mercy and justice for those who have already suffered unimaginable trauma.”
The Fair and Just Prosecution organization charged that “any attempt by the Tulsa DA’s office to strip these protections through coerced plea deals would be preying on vulnerable survivors at their most desperate moment.”
“Pressuring survivors to give up their rights is cynical, irresponsible, and unconscionable. It does not support community safety and only undermines public trust in the truth and justice of the system. We call on District Attorney Kunzweiler to immediately abandon this waiver and honor the legislative intent of the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act,” Fair and Just Prosecution demanded.
