Tom Bates, the executive director of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, announced his resignation this week. His last day overseeing the board will be Nov. 30, shortly after the next scheduled clemency hearing.
The state's Pardon and Parole Board meets for multiple days each month and is in charge of deciding whether eligible prisoners should be released on parole and whether to grant or deny other forms of clemency, such as pardons or commutations.
Bates has supervised the agency for the past five years, taking over during a state-wide moratorium on executions. Since the state resumed executions in 2021, he has guided the board through clemency hearings in some of Oklahoma's most closely watched death penalty cases, including those of Richard Glossip and Julius Jones.
In his resignation letter, Bates highlighted a series of administrative achievements during his tenure, including clearing a backlog of thousands of commutation applications, modernizing case processing systems and reducing turnaround times for parole certificates. He said he was proud of the staff's ability to maintain the board's independence in the face of public and political scrutiny.
"I came to the board five years ago, there were some things that needed to be worked through and some problems that needed to be solved, and I feel like we worked through those issues," Bates said.
Previously, Bates served as interim commissioner at the Department of Health after former administrators were accused of financial mismanagement. While there, he led the agency through the initial stages of implementing medical marijuana. He also spent more than 15 years working in the state attorney general's office.
Bates said it is time for him and the board to go "onto another chapter." He said he plans to spend time with his family and may look for employment options in the private sector where he can practice law.
The five-member board will be tasked with hiring a new executive director. Bates said Kyle Counts, who serves as general counsel, will see the members through the process.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
