Our new report "Investing in Justice: The Promise and Progress of Oklahoma's SQ781 Community Safety Fund" is the first of its kind.
In 2016, Oklahoma voters passed State Questions 780 and 781 to fundamentally shift the state’s approach to public safety. SQ780 reclassified certain low-level drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, aiming to reduce Oklahoma’s incarceration rate. SQ781 created the Community Safety Investment Fund to reinvest the resulting savings into local services like mental health care, addiction treatment, housing, and reentry support. These dual reforms were designed to stop the cycle of incarceration and transform our approach to addiction and mental health treatment.
Since implementation, Oklahoma has seen a dramatic drop in incarceration and crime. Prison sentences for low-level offenses have fallen by 47%, drug-related prison sentences by 77%, and felony filings have dropped by 45%. Property crime has declined by over 30% in both metro and rural areas, results that exceed national trends. These outcomes confirm that smarter justice not only reduces incarceration but also strengthens public safety.
Yet, for years the legislature failed to allocate funds to the SQ781 investment mechanism. That changed in 2023 with the passage of SB844, which finally appropriated more than $20 million to counties for program development. To date, 44 out of 77 counties have applied for funding. Those that have are using resources to launch evidence-based strategies—expanding treatment courts, supporting housing programs, hiring reentry staff, and creating diversion opportunities that help people avoid jail and access care.
Despite this progress, challenges remain. Treatment access is still deeply limited: only 15% of those needing mental health care and fewer than 10% needing addiction treatment receive it. Court-ordered referrals to treatment have dropped by 25%, and many counties with high incarceration rates have not applied for funding at all. Addressing these gaps is crucial to fully realize the transformative intent behind SQ780 and SQ781.
The report concludes that investment—not incarceration—is the key to long-term safety, fiscal responsibility, and public health. By expanding access to services and targeting the root causes of crime, Oklahoma has the opportunity to lead the nation in smart, community-based justice reform.
Thank you to our partners Oklahoma Policy Institute, DataWorks, and Healthy Minds Policy Initiative for helping to make this report possible.
