The Payoff of Restorative Workforce

By Rep. Brian Hill 

One of the areas I'm most proud to work in at the State Capitol is in restorative workforce— helping people leaving incarceration find jobs more easily and filling the hiring gaps facing  many industries.  

In 2021, we passed the Sarah Stitt Act, which provides needed identification and documentation  of certificates and training to inmates preparing to leave incarceration. The bill became law in  2021 and subsequent improvements took effect in 2022.  

I recently received new numbers from the Dept. of Corrections outlining some of their work  since the Act took effect, and I wanted to share those with you.  

Since the Act took effect, DOC has helped prepare over 5,500 resumes and conducted 4,500  mock interviews to help inmates who are preparing to leave incarceration.  

They've also provided over 7,800 birth certificates since November 2021, which is a huge feat  considering these are coming from nearly every state in the nation as well as some other  countries. Over 2,300 of those birth certificates have been provided in Fiscal Year 2024 alone.  An additional 525 birth certificates have been ordered, which includes 176 Oklahoma birth  certificates that have been ordered since May 1.  

Additionally, DOC has processed over 1,960 IDs in total, with 519 of those provided in FY2024  so far. There are an additional 90 pending requests for IDs to be processed, which should be  completed in the next few weeks.  

DOC is also working on two new methods to provide IDs to offenders. One is a mobile  workstation and one is through certificates.  

As many of you may remember, Oklahoma used to have the highest incarceration rate in the  nation. Since 2019, our prison population has been dropping, and we're now at #4 in the nation.  

Of the people leaving prison, though, we have one of the lowest recidivism rates, meaning that  when people leave our prisons, they're much less likely to return to the criminal justice system in  the next 36 months. The U.S. has a national recidivism rate of 35.8%, whereas Oklahoma's  recidivism rate is 17.7%. 

This is partially thanks to the Sarah Stitt Act, which prepares them ahead of time by drafting  resumes and practicing interviewing. This advanced planning helps those who've served their  time leave incarceration more equipped to become productive members of society. Studies show  that someone who gets a job within 21 days of release is 90% less likely to return to prison.  

In March 2024, Oklahoma's unemployment rate was 3.5%, lower than the national  unemployment rate of 3.9%. Oklahomans want to work, but sometimes people leaving  incarceration have lost their IDs and don't have access to technology to print resumes and apply  for jobs. By preparing these people before they leave state custody, we're helping them find jobs  more readily and supplement industry hiring needs, making them significantly less likely to  return to prison.  

This advanced preparation ultimately saves taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. If we can help  lift people up so they don't recommit, we could save millions in taxpayer funds.  

I'm very proud of the work that the Sarah Stitt Act has ultimately accomplished, but there's still  more to be done at the legislative level to reduce recidivism even further and close the hiring gap  in Oklahoma. 

Rep. Brian Hill, a Republican, represents House District 47 in the Oklahoma House of  Representatives. His district includes portions of Mustang and Oklahoma City.

2/6/2024