Cohort 2024
Oklahoma County Diversion Hub
Evaluating a Community-Centered Voluntary Service Model
Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma has the third-highest incarceration rate in the country, with Black Oklahomans five times as likely to be incarcerated as their white counterparts. Oklahoma County Diversion Hub aims to promote a fairer justice system by offering people impacted by systemic racism and intergenerational poverty resources such as case management, assistance with navigating the criminal legal system, and on-site access to social services and emergency resources to prevent or resolve criminal legal issues. Despite making up only 15.9 percent of Oklahoma County's population, Black people make up 37 percent of Diversion Hub's clients, demonstrating the need for these resources among Black communities in Oklahoma. Diversion Hub also works with the district court and local police departments to divert people from jail or prison and into community-based programs that offer voluntary services.
With Catalyst Grant funding, Diversion Hub will write and disseminate an impact analysis report assessing the effectiveness of its voluntary service model in reducing justice contacts and improving people’s quality of life. It will employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide critical internal feedback for enhancing its services, provide local government officials with data to inform decisionmaking, and disseminate information to jurisdictions considering a similar voluntary service model.
