2001-04-12 By John Greiner Capitol Bureau

The average prison sentences in Oklahoma for crimes ranging from rape to drug possession are longer than the U.S. average, a Senate staff study showed Wednesday. The study showed national and Oklahoma average prison sentences for rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, drug possession and drug trafficking.

The national average prison sentence for a rape conviction is 13.2 years. In Oklahoma, the average rape sentence is 22.9 years, according to the study.

The study showed the national average sentence for robbery is 9.7 years,
compared with 21.5 years in Oklahoma. For aggravated assault, the U.S. average is 6.6 years, compared with 12.2 years for Oklahoma. For burglary, the national average is 5.8 years, compared with 14.2 years in Oklahoma.

The U.S. average sentence for drug possession is 4.2 years, compared with
7.4 years for Oklahoma. The national average sentence for drug trafficking is 5.5 years, compared with 16.4 years in Oklahoma, the study said.

The study also showed that drug arrests in the state have risen from 15,275 in
1997 to 20,637 in 1999. During that period, arrests increased from about 159,000 in 1997 to about 168,000 in 1999. The study said 42 percent of felony convictions during 2000 in Oklahoma were for drug- related offenses.