OKLAHOMA CITY – A new law, HB 4408, by Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, codifies how the incarceration savings ?is calculated per SQ 780/781 so that the proper amount of money can be put toward court ordered ?rehab programs and mental health and drug courts.?

The measure requires the Department of Corrections and the Administrator of the Oklahoma ?Courts to provide the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) specific data on crimes ?that were modified by SQ 780. Within 30 days of receiving this data, LOFT must calculate the ?annual savings and averted incarceration costs. ?

?“This law is the first step in much needed reform of the County Community Safety Investment ?Fund, which is the core of SQ 781,” said Blancett. “There is still more work to be done, but I am ?thankful to get this measure across the finish line and continue to work toward creating smart ?actions that actually work to help rehabilitate individuals and in turn save taxpayer dollars, thereby ?improving public safety. Incarceration can’t be the only tool in the toolbox.”?

The County Community Safety Investment Fund can be used by counties to pay for:?

• Mental Health & Substance Abuse: Outpatient treatment, mobile crisis response ?teams, telehealth resources, and recovery support services.?
• Pretrial Diversion Programs: Treatment courts, structured alternatives to ?incarceration, and case management services.?
• Employment Programs: Workforce partnerships and job-readiness training to ?help stabilize returning citizens.?
• Education Programs: Rehabilitative education or training to support community ?reintegration.?
• Housing Programs: Housing navigation and temporary or transitional support for ?individuals returning to the community.?

SQ 780/781 were passed by Oklahoma voters in 2016. SQ 780 changed from a felony to a misdemeanor non-violent lower-level property and drug crimes and required the incarceration ?savings to be invested in the above programs. Since then, a 2025 report from Oklahomans for ?Criminal Justice Reform says SQ 780 was responsible for over $200M in state savings and worked ?to invest $37.5M into local mental health and substance abuse services across 44 Oklahoma counties. ?

-END-