Bill to help domestic abuse victims charged with crime passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A bill to help victims of domestic abuse who are being sentenced for a crime against their abuser was passed unanimously in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 1639 is known as the Oklahoma Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act.

Under the measure, victims of domestic abuse who are being sentenced for a crime against their intimate partner "where self-defense could have been raised as an affirmative defense, the court shall consider as a mitigating factor that the person has been abused physically, sexually, economically, or psychologically by the person the defendant defended his or herself against."

If court finds that the defendant is a survivor of domestic abuse within the year prior to the crime, they would receive a reduced sentence.

"No matter the range for the offense, a defendant providing mitigation evidence under this section shall not receive a sentence longer than ten (10) years," the bill states.

House Bill 1639 passed the Oklahoma House 91-0.

It now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The Sentencing Project released the following statement on the measure:

"The Oklahoma Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act will give courts the ability to resentence people convicted of crimes where domestic abuse was determined to be a significant factor and give courts the ability to consider additional context when handing down sentences. We couldn't be happier that this bill has seen such widespread, bipartisan support, being unanimously passed on the House floor and in committee."