The Oklahoma County Diversion Hub was awarded a $1 million grant by the US Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to increase the participant capacity of the Drug Court program over the next four years.
The grant funding will expand the program’s capacity from 150 participants to 250 at any given time. Drug Court staff based the increase on the number of participants in Oklahoma County that were denied or delayed due to program limitations. In 2022, only 57% of drug court applicants were accepted, largely due to the lack of funding for dedicated personnel.
The BJA funding extends the roles of various Drug Court employees and will cover 50% of an additional Assistant Public Defender role, 50% of an additional Assistant District Attorney role, and the addition of a Program Navigator, tasked with helping 125 participants each year. The Program Navigator will help participants understand and meet program requirements while assisting them in securing needed services and resources. Funding also covers the cost of new case management software “Reconnect”, which will help Drug Court staff supervise participants via a smartphone application.
A portion of the grant is reserved for indigent drug testing that will help participants overcome financial barriers to graduating from Drug Court. Indigent participants regularly utilize their drug testing site’s willingness to accept payment later. Currently, there are 18 drug court participants who are unable to graduate from the program due to requirements like having a current ID, employment, and unpaid drug testing costs.
October 23, 2023
