Being tough on crime is expensive. It costs Oklahoma taxpayers about $20,000 a year to pay for the housing of each inmate in the state’s overcrowded prison system, Department of Corrections data show. But being tough on crime can also mean giving criminals a chance at having a life on the outside.
More than 8 percent of Oklahomans have a felony background. Finding a job is key to breaking the cycle of crime and poverty, researchers and corrections official say. And a felony conviction often means inescapable employment obstacles.
Okfuskee County is home to what was once the largest all-black community in the country and legendary Dust Bowl-era folk singer Woody Guthrie. It also has the highest poverty rate in Oklahoma. Decades after Guthrie recorded his songs about the struggles of the workingman, hard times continue in Okfuskee County. That’s especially true for tiny [...]
In 2005, a task force estimated that alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness and domestic violence cost Oklahoma about $3.4 billion that year, The Oklahoman’s Sonya Colberg reported. The death toll and spending are rising, according to the report. Today, a conservative cost estimate is about $4.3 billion or about $1,150 per Oklahoman, said Michael [...]
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