We fight for the rights and opportunities of every Oklahoman.
Misdemeanor diversion works.
Oklahoma has been struggling to find a middle ground between punishment and rehabilitation.
In August, Oklahoma Appleseed published The Forgotten Machine, a comprehensive report on Misdemeanor justice in Oklahoma that showed on average 668 people are serving jail time on misdemeanors every night in Oklahoma.
In addition, Oklahomans pay over $22 Million in taxpayer dollars to administer the misdemeanor justice system which is largely inefficient, costly, and often causes more harm than good.
In our quest to find a program that could ameliorate the harms of the misdemeanor system, we came across the Misdemeanor Diversion Program in Oklahoma County. This program, administered by the Diversion Hub in Oklahoma County, shows early promise in being able to divert individuals from more extensive involvement in the criminal justice system while providing life stabilizing services to its participants.
Our newest publication, Misdemeanor Diversion Works, took an independent look at the data that emerged after a year of conducting the Misdemeanor Diversion Program, and found some impressive outcomes.
Read and download the report here.
key takeaways
25% of clients received employment assistance.
32% of clients were referred for mental health services.
25% of clients received employment assistance.
Lack of access to stable employment is one of the biggest issues for people involved in the misdemeanor justice system.
10% of clients received housing assistance.
32% of clients were referred for mental health services.
25% of clients received employment assistance.
Another major destabilizing event is losing housing. Losing affordable housing can often send people into a downward spiral that can end in arrest or incarceration.
32% of clients were referred for mental health services.
32% of clients were referred for mental health services.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Oklahoma's mental health services landscape can be intimidating and difficult to navigate, especially for populations struggling with serious mental illness.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Asking people who are experiencing destabilization to find rides or public transportation to receive important services inevitably means people will not be able to attain those services if they can't make it to appointments. Centralizing services is a key indicator of a successful program.
Only 6% of clients recidivated after program completion.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Only 6% of clients recidivated after program completion.
The general felony recidivism rate is closer to 26% in Oklahoma. With only 6% of Misdemeanor Diversion graduates going on to recidivate after completing MDP, that is a significant statistical shift from baseline.
Overall graduation rate was 79%.
Keeping partner organizations on site at a central location improves outcomes.
Only 6% of clients recidivated after program completion.
One thing that stood out was that people with 10+ prior felonies had an engagement rate of 69% by graduation. This is a notoriously difficult population to see success with because of their extensive prior involvement with the justice system.