OKC diversion programs helping to reduce jail numbers, improve people’s lives

Overcrowding at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, a.k.a. the Oklahoma County Jail, has been an ongoing issue for several decades, especially for a facility that was originally built to hold 1,200 inmates but was instead averaging between 2,500 and 2,600 inmates on any given day. The issue came to a head in 2015 when the Department of Justice threatened to investigate the overcrowded conditions, what was causing it and what could be done to rectify it.

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber immediately began working with city and county leaders, along with the Vera Institute for Justice out of New York, to find some solutions. Within two years, the jail’s inmate population began to steadily drop. Today, overcrowding has continued trending downward with a population of approximately 1,600. Many reasons can be given to explain the drop, but a significant factor in the decrease is the number of diversion programs that have been created or adopted in the city and county to alleviate overcrowding at the facility.

Timothy Tardibono, who serves as executive director of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC), the entity which coordinates reform efforts for county justice officials, told an audience at a recent Chamber Forum that when you add up the number of people who have been helped by these programs, it is pretty evident why the jail population has seen such a meaningful drop.

“We have made the argument that there are clearly people who need to be detained and are threats to the community, and that’s what your jail is for. But for people struggling with issues like mental health, drug court, case management services they need, these programs are really what they need to do more of,” Tardibono said.

One successful program that helps eligible, non-violent felony offenders avoid jail time by providing a highly structured, court-supervised program treatment is drug court, which has expanded to almost every county in Oklahoma. Drug court is not for first-time offenders, but for people who have failed probation multiple times, according to Oklahoma County District Judge Kenneth Stoner. He said drug court lasts from 18 to 24 months, and if you complete the program, your charges are dismissed. But if you fail the program, you go to prison. So far, Oklahoma County’s drug court has seen many success stories.

“We have about 400 people in the program here in Oklahoma County and an 83% success rate,” Judge Stoner said. “They have a life now free from alcohol and drugs, and they have stable employment and very low recidivism.”

Another diversion program that has gotten rave reviews for helping keep people out of prison is the Pretrial Release Initiative by the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s office and The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM). Launched in 2017 with support from CJAC and the Arnall Family Foundation, the Pretrial Release Initiative secures the release of eligible individuals who are unable to afford bail. Participants must abide by certain conditions to remain in the program, including things like meeting with a case manager and drug testing on a weekly basis, and be willing to participate in employment or treatment services as needed.

Being held pretrial is a huge predictor of whether or not someone is more likely to be convicted of the crime for which they were charged, said Jaime Patterson, director of diversion services at TEEM.

“If you were held pretrial to your sentencing, you’re also more likely to receive a harsher sentence than the person who was able to bond out, all other factors being equal. In fact, some studies have shown that pretrial detention is the single most powerful predictor of whether someone’s sentence will be incarceration or a community-based sentence. So, pretrial detention is a big deal,” said Patterson, noting that since launch, TEEM has been able to help nearly 2,000 people in its pretrial release program.

TEEM also contracts with Oklahoma County to operate the Oklahoma County Community Sentencing program, a diversion program that provides in-depth case management services, substance abuse and mental health treatment opportunities, job preparedness and educational services, and direct service aid to participants.

“One of our [community sentencing program] graduates said it best. He said, ‘[TEEM] is not looking to catch you doing something wrong; [they are] looking to help you want to do the right thing.” Patterson said. The program boasts an 84% completion rate.

“We had 137 graduates last year that are all just doing really amazing things for the community.”

One of the newest diversion programs in the Oklahoma City metro is the Diversion Hub. Opened in June 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, the Diversion Hub is a comprehensive one-stop shop where justice-involved people can receive help. According to its website, the Diversion Hub’s aim is to “fill gaps in the criminal court system, helping individuals emerge successfully on the other side of their involvement with the judicial process, and reduce the flow of jail and ultimately prison population.”

The Diversion Hub works with people in pretrial as well as those on probation and who are in danger of getting that probation revoked because they are not meeting requirements of the probation, said Diversion Hub Executive Director Damon Britton. He said the program uses what are called justice navigators to assist their clients by interviewing them and making sure they actually qualify for the program, and also helps them maintain compliance with the court.

Once the client visits the justice navigator and qualifies for services, he or she then sees a case manager who works alongside the client to assess what the client needs to become self-sufficient and stable. The navigator will then connect the client to needed resources and services.

“The whole goal of the Diversion Hub is to bring this cadre of services, this kind of multi-disciplinary team to bear for that one client.” Britton explained, adding that services such as housing, mental health, substance abuse and several public benefit services, are located at the Diversion Hub.

Judge Stoner highlighted many other diversion programs in Oklahoma County for people facing jail time, including a DUI court, mental health court, the ReMerge Oklahoma program for mothers who are facing prison time, a female diversion program and a veterans diversion program for low-level offenses.

“If you don’t remember anything else, I want you to know this: People can change,” Judge Stoner said. “Your past does not have to equal your future. And we have the right programs to meet the needs of those individuals.”

Tardibono echoed those sentiments, especially as Oklahoma County gets closer to hopefully building a new county jail, which will alleviate most, if not all, of the things that has plagued the facility for years.

“We know treatment works. Rehabilitation works. People can be redeemed and restored and moved in the right direction. I think in Oklahoma, a lot of times we don’t believe that. So, I think it’s important that we keep our focus on diversion programs,” he said.

“These services are going to help us stay in a better-sized jail, and for those of you who are Oklahoma County voters, you will be getting that opportunity, hopefully, this summer. A ‘yes’ vote on a jail construction would really be helpful to help us move more people out of the jail and into these programs,” Tardibono said.