Oklahoma has 28,036 prison inmates. Only one state locks up a larger portion of its population. None locks up a larger percentage of its women.

Those are destructive statistics: more prisoners than we can afford, and more than the state needs to protect itself.

The bills, written by Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, would:

• Raise the minimum loss for many property crimes to qualify as felonies from $500 to $1,000. That includes things such as embezzlement, larceny, shoplifting and receiving stolen goods. The felony bogus check amount would be raised to $2,000.

• Reduce the top mandatory sentence for simple drug possession from 10 years to five years.

• Expand eligibility for drug courts and community sentencing.

• Explicitly allow district attorneys discretion in filing misdemeanor charges instead of felonies for crimes that aren’t covered by the state’s 85 percent rule. The most serious crimes would not be affected by the change.

Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, a grassroots group with support from across the political spectrum, started gathering signatures last week on two initiative petitions that would force the same changes, only with more aggressive sentencing changes and guarantees that savings from the reforms would be given to counties for substance abuse treatment, education and training programs for offenders diverted from the prison system.

The state is in a budgetary crisis of unprecedented size. Twice this year the state declared a revenue failure, meaning it wasn’t bringing in enough revenue to cover its budget. Current estimates are that the state will fall 7 percent short of its original budget. Lawmakers also will have at least $1.3 billion less available for next year’s budget than this year.

The state simply cannot afford to lock up as many people as it does. Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders have turned to the state’s “Rainy Day” fund to bail out the corrections department to the tune of $21 million. That means that because of the state’s expensive incarceration habits, Oklahoma will have $21 million less to deal with schools and roads during a fiscal pinch.

The ridiculous part of the situation is this: Mass incarceration isn’t making us any safer. While Oklahoma has been pursuing retribution against minor criminals, other states have been trying to find them the treatment they need to deal with their addictions. As a result, Texas has closed three prisons and seen its crime rate go down. Oklahoma’s facilities are bulging at the seams, with the overflow going into expensive private prisons.

Meanwhile, the overcrowded state prisons are dangerously understaffed, and guards are working a tremendous number of hours. That makes the facilities unsafe for inmates, employees and the public.

Gov. Mary Fallin has endorsed the ideas in Peterson’s bills. It’s time for the Senate to pass the four smart-on-crime measures and get the state moving in the right direction.