As lawmakers prep for the new state legislative session a couple bills aim to help victims of domestic violence. This is led by a big push from advocacy organizations.
As Oklahoma tops the country in domestic abuse , members of Domestic Violence Intervention Services ( DVIS ) based in north Tulsa said the state now has multiple chances to fix that in the Capitol.
“I think it’s time for legislators to be putting through legislation that involves domestic violence,” DVIS CEO Tracey Lyall told 2 News.
Lyall said Senate Bill 1470 , better known as the Oklahoma Survivors Act , offers leniency to victims of abuse who commit a crime against their perpetrators. It would also reduce current sentences for crimes that stem from victimization.
“What this reform will do will look at mitigating those sentences for survivors who’ve already endured a relationship that’s been violent and oftentimes begin fighting back or became aggressive back and ended up with a stiffer sentence than the perpetrator,” Lyall added.