Everyone has heard the term โmass incarceration,โ but what does it mean for families? Public safety means removing the reasons for committing crimes, not removing people from our communities. Mass incarceration does more harm than good, when most would be better served by support to overcome addiction or gain steady employment than by months or years behind bars. The safest communities are those where people have what they need to thrive, and where families are whole and healthy.
Diversion Hub, located in Midtown OKC, was founded to help individuals navigate and exit the criminal legal system. Diversion Hub is a one-of-a-kind model that provides evidence-based programs that assist individuals impacted by the criminal legal system in Oklahoma County. One of our objectives is reducing recidivism within the criminal legal ecosystem and providing a pathway forward in addressing underlying issues that may have led to legal involvement. Our culture of compassion and strength-based philosophy provides a judgment-free space to address these concerns in a productive and restorative way
Rooted in a โno wrong doorโ philosophy, we serve everyone without cost, lowering barriers to community resources by co-locating partner agencies on site. In one location, any person with criminal legal involvement can receive comprehensive support to stabilize their lives.
Family services
One of the largest gaps we have encountered is the need for family services. In the first six months of 2024, Diversion Hub served almost 1,000 parents of minor children. 65% of these parents, all of whom are caught up in our archaic and complicated criminal legal system, do not live with their young children.
Reunification is an urgent priority for these families, but there are many obstacles in their way: court dates and treatment appointments to attend, legal requirements to understand, fines and fees to pay, and the ever so present risk of going to jail. Diversion Hub helps clients overcome these obstacles, but the stakes are particularly high for parents, who must care for their children or work to reunite with them at the same time.
The number of Oklahoma County residents sent to state prison has decreased by about half since 2019, but the jail population, after years of decline, is starting to rise again, contributing to a growing need for Diversion Hubโs services. Our clientele has doubled since 2023, and the number of families in need is increasing.
We are proud to partner on community efforts to address the challenges facing families, including the Oklahoma City Public Schoolsโ Chronic Absence & Truancy task force, which works to ensure children attend school and have their basic needs fulfilled.
New facility
Diversion Hub, through MAPS 4, is building a new facility to support its clientele and the growing number of families who walk through our doors. The facility will have a nursing room and expanded client space for families and children impacted by the criminal legal system. There will be more community spaces to host classes, including the parenting classes and peer-driven recovery classes currently offered at Diversion Hubโs Midtown location.
Although our services and programs are largely voluntary, we know they will be used. The data proves it. Overwhelmingly, the people trapped in the criminal legal system, whether they are parents or merely uncles, sisters, sons, and neighbors โ they want a better future. And we want to help them get there. We urge readers to consider partnering with Diversion Hub or the many phenomenal community agencies that are working with us to bring families together and keep them out of the criminal legal system.
The next generation depends on our support right now.
