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I have not one, but two incredible guests for this timely and important episode of Shift Out Loud. We’ll be exploring the case of domestic violence survivor April Wilkens, who was recently denied a shortened sentence for a crime directly related to her abuse: the murder of her long-time rapist and abuser.

Tracey Lyall is the CEO of Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) in Tulsa and a Licensed Social Worker with years of direct service and advocacy for victims of DV and sexual assault. Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice co-founder Colleen McCarty has been a key advocate in pushing for survivor justice reform through the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act (SB 1835), which passed the OK Senate 46-0 and the OK House 86-4.

In this impactful conversation, Tracey and Colleen discuss why SB 1835 is vital legislation for Oklahomans, how it compares to similar measures enacted in other states, and why April Wilkins should be granted relief and be reunited with her family.

Listen now to discover:

• The details of April’s horrific story and the current status of her legal case 
• Why April’s denial was so shocking and what you can do to help support her cause
• The potential impact of SB 1835 on Oklahoma’s incarcerated women

Guest bios: Tracey Lyall is a Licensed Social Worker and the CEO of DVIS in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2013, along with the board of directors, she led the organization’s $24 million capital campaign to build a new shelter, transitional housing, and counseling office. She has worked in the areas of poverty, DV, crisis intervention, and mental health. Attorney Colleen McCarty has served as Policy Counsel and Deputy Director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform. She is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and was instrumental in passing medical parole reform in 2020 (SB 320). 

Timestamps:

01:51  Intro

03:56  Meet Tracey Lyall & Colleen McCarty

07:00  Passing SB 1835

09:16  Oklahoma Appleseed & SB 1835’s strengths

14:33  DV stats, stigma & retaliation

20:27  April’s case

31:12  Colleen’s work

34:00  Tracey’s reaction

36:13  Support for April

41:46  Current actions & influences

45:14  Colleen’s final thoughts

Links:

okappleseed.org 

dvis.org 

panicbuttonpodcast.com 

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