REDUCING THE JA I L POPULAT ION Since 2015, the Chamber has been deeply engaged with ongoing criminal justice reform efforts on both a county and state level. The Chamber lobbied at the State Capitol for the passage of House Bill 1269, which would make the provisions of SQ 780 (reclassification of some drug possession and property crimes as misdemeanors) retroactive. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed this bill into law, and it is estimated 500-800 low level, non-violent inmates will be released from jail/prison as a result of this legislation. The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council also started to see real traction in their efforts. The Council implemented many projects during 2019 that impacted both the population of the jail and the ability for agencies to work together in the justice system. Several partners were awarded more than $1.5 million in grant funding to launch data and IT upgrades so that we can have a more holistic view of who is in our criminal justice system – and why.
One example of those efforts came from the Advisory Council implementing a data hub that will allow governmental agencies to share information and to enable Oklahoma County justice system partners to work better together. With the input of numerous stakeholders, the advisory council selected a pilot project centered around three key stakeholders: judges and court clerks, the sherriff’s office staff, and Northcare, a local mental health and addiction service provider. The goal of this pilot project is to expedite the transmission of judicial releases and to move justice-involved individuals into services and treatment more quickly. The combined impact of better communication and information sharing and other justice reform efforts have led to quicker releases of inmates, thereby reducing the number of people in jail. The data reveals that the one-year average for jail population is 1,663, a significant improvement over previous population numbers that peaked at more than 2,500. You can learn more about the progress being made in Oklahoma County justice reform efforts by visiting smartsafeokco.com.
10
2 0 1 9 A N N U A L R E P O R T / G R E A T E R O K L A H O M A C I T Y C H A M B E R
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online