The Victims Who Fought Back

Oklahoma has begun implementing a new law, the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, offering a path to freedom for domestic violence victims incarcerated for crimes linked to their abuse. Lisa Rae Moss, serving a life sentence for her husband's 1990 murder, became the first to be released under this act after a judge found her severe abuse was a substantial contributing factor to her crime. Her testimony detailed years of horrific violence, including rape and threats with a gun, underscoring the systemic failures that often punish survivors. This landmark ruling has sparked hope for dozens of other women, like April Wilkens, at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, who are seeking sentence reductions under the same statute. The law aims to address "criminalized survivorship" and reassess harsh punishments for those who fought back against their abusers.