4% Recidivism - Ep. 2.1 - ReMerge Impacting Female Incarceration
Oklahoma has incarcerated more women per capita than anywhere else in the world for nearly three decades. In 2010, the Inasmuch Foundation and the United Way of Central Oklahoma convened a group of 25 community leaders to address the rate at which Oklahoma incarcerates women and the trauma that occurs within a family when a mother goes to prison. This group identified an approach that would remove barriers and provide a path for more successful futures for mothers who battle cycles of trauma, poverty and incarceration. Founded on a collective impact model and designed around comprehensive programming and support, ReMerge was officially launched in 2011. Since that time, ReMerge has graduated 154 women who parent a total of 383 children. ReMerge has saved the state of Oklahoma more than $35 million dollars by providing a pathway for mothers to be restored to our community rather than incarcerated and separated from their children. Upon graduation, a ReMerge mother has safe and stable housing, is reunified with her minor children, is maintaining sobriety and on the pathway to stable employment. What makes ReMerge truly different from other diversion programs, is that upon graduation, a ReMerge mother is eligible to have her charges dismissed, removing a substantial barrier to the rest of her life. ReMerge serves mothers of minor children who are facing non-violent felony charges in Oklahoma County. Participants are referred by the District Attorney’s office. ReMerge mothers are high-risk, high-need, meaning that without substantial treatment and support, they are unlikely to break the cycles of incarceration, addiction, and poverty. ReMerge utilizes evidence-based treatment and programming to provide individualized, wrap-around services for mothers and their families. ReMerge is a four phase program that first acts to stabilize moms and build a foundation for recovery. ReMerge provides safe and sober housing, food, clothing, transportation, access to mental and physical health care, and addiction recovery as baseline support. As ReMerge moms progress through the phases of our program, they gain the necessary coping, parenting, and practical skills needed to rebuild their lives and their families. As part of our holistic services, ReMerge mothers are assigned to a team that includes a case manager, a therapist, a health and wellness program manager, a child reunification program manager, education and employment coordinator, and a peer recovery support specialist. These teams support each mom to reach her goals and to meet the competencies required of each phase. As a ReMerge mother grows in her skill and capacity, she needs to enter the workforce but she needs a career, not just a job. Even in a state where the cost of living is relatively low, a mother, supporting an average of two children, cannot survive on minimum wage. The Prison Policy Initiative found that justice-involved people have an unemployment rate over 27%, which is significantly higher than the US unemployment rate of 3.6%. The unemployment rate is often even higher, 33% or more, for women. Joblessness is the number 1 indicator for reoffending. ReMerge invests significantly in the education and employment training of the women in our program because without the ability to grow wages and a future, hopelessness can cycle right back into addiction and incarceration. Through our program of holistic treatment, recovery, and education and employment support, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of ReMerge mothers and their families’ futures.
