A 2023 review of Oklahoma County’s justice system by the Criminal Justice Institute found that between 2015 and 2022, the county jail population decreased by 44%. The report found that one driver of the population decline was our justice system’s increased access to and use of diversion programs during that time.
Thanks to these diversion programs, thousands of those who are justice-involved have been diverted away from the jail and into community programs, having a significant effect on the lives of individuals while also lowering Oklahoma County’s jail population.
Diversion programs help nonviolent, low-level offenders through treatment, to gain skills and provide them with the support and resources needed to get them back to work. Businesses that implement fair-chance hiring practices are in the best position to reap the benefits of these dedicated employees.
I regularly hear from hiring managers and executives that their partnerships with Oklahoma County’s diversion programs have made continuing their fair-chance hiring policies a no-brainer. Diversion programs such as TEEM, ReMerge, Diversion Hub and Treatment Court programs work with hiring managers across central Oklahoma to provide businesses with a slate of qualified candidates who are eager to reenter their communities, rehabilitated and ready to provide for their families by reentering the workforce.
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