Community Safety
1 in 6
children in Oklahoma with incarcerated parents.
38%
of incarcerated Oklahomans have symptoms of a serious mental illness.
1,518,029
Oklahomans living in communities that don’t have enough mental health professionals.
46th
in state mental health funding
The far-reaching impacts of Oklahoma’s criminal legal system and its cycle of incarceration are inherently linked to its cycle of intergenerational trauma. Still, those who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse lack access to adequate mental health supports, either due to cost or the small number of providers in the state. This is especially true for Black communities in Oklahoma, who struggle with stigmas in their social circles around mental illness, and lack proper representation within the realm of mental healthcare (only 6.2% of psychologists, 5.6% of advanced-practice psychiatric nurses, 12.6% of social workers, and 21.3% of psychiatrists are members of minority groups).
Our Key Collaboration in this Area: Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance
The Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance is a coalition of Black-owned Mental Health providers in Tulsa working to provide holistic, culturally competent, and trauma-informed care. The Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance is working to remove the stigma of receiving mental health services, creating a referral-sharing system for mental health care, enhancing screening and treatment for individuals with criminal justice system involvement, and responding to ongoing community health needs.
Our Key Collaboration in this Area: The Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma
The Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma (RJIOK) seeks to transform the retributive and inequitable culture of our state. RJIOK offers training in restorative practices designed with and for individuals, families, schools, and organizations to reduce trauma, dehumanization, and recidivism.
Our Impact
1,036+
people educated by the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance through public engagements.
300+
Tulsans have been trained in restorative justice practices
$1.56M+
invested to date
The future of community safety in Oklahoma
Tulsa’s residents, especially Black residents, who disproportionately have been impacted by over-policing, violence, the criminal legal system, and community under-investment no longer face racial violence and harm. Families and individuals are prosperous, safe, and secure. Children flourish.
A well-resourced, collaborative, and efficient community-driven safety network in Tulsa reduces police interaction, increases public funding in alternatives, and decreases recidivism in the criminal legal system.
GET INVOLVED
Join us as we build a safer and more prosperous Oklahoma. As our work evolves, there will be opportunities to learn and engage.