Criminal Justice Reform

Community Well-being and Justice
  • 4th
    Oklahoma has the fourth highest rate of female incarceration in the nation.
  • 72%
    decrease in the number of women sent to prison from Tulsa County since efforts to end the cycle of incarceration began in 2009.
  • 3,300
    individuals have received documentation support, rides to court and appointments and help enrolling in SNAP and Medicaid through JusticeLink

Breaking the cycle

The consequences of incarceration and familial separation are devastating.

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The cost of mass incarceration

In Oklahoma, mass incarceration has deprived too many families the chance at a prosperous, or even stable, future. 

When parents are incarcerated, thousands of children are left behind — often in unsafe conditions and separated from their families. In many cases, prison is not cost-effective, does not enhance public safety, fails to promote true rehabilitation and places children at far greater risk of entering the criminal justice system. 

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Our approach

Recognizing that the challenges of the criminal legal system are complex and require constant creativity, collaboration, review and evaluation, GKFF uses evidence-based practices and programs to address problems.

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What we support

We invest in programs that provide cost-effective solutions to public safety, promote true rehabilitation and improve the lives of young children and their families in Tulsa. The programs we support help:

Women in Recovery is the best program we have in Oklahoma.”
Michelle Keely
Judge of Oklahoma Judicial District 14.

Driving change within the community

Initiatives across Tulsa are ending the cycle of incarceration and rebuilding lives:
Women in Recovery
Women in Recovery offers an alternative to incarceration, providing trauma-informed mental health, substance use treatment, education, employment training and family reunification, helping break generational cycles of incarceration in Tulsa.
Still She Rises, Tulsa
Still She Rises, Tulsa is the first nonprofit law firm in the country dedicated exclusively to the legal representation of women and mothers in north Tulsa involved with the criminal and civil legal systems.
JusticeLink
JusticeLink is a free and voluntary community resource connecting those navigating the criminal legal system in Tulsa County to a full spectrum of community-based services.
Project Commutation
Project Commutation provides free legal representation for individuals serving excessive prison sentences, including assistance with commutation applications, parole and commutation packets and representation at hearings.
ProsperOK
ProsperOK is a collaborative effort to increase community safety, improve economic mobility and achieve lower incarceration through a coalition of community members, organizers and advocates, practitioners, organizations and funders.
Center for Employment Opportunities
Convened and led by the Center for Employment Opportunities, ETPC is a network of navigator and referral organizations that provide targeted training programs and address policies and practices that keep people affected by the criminal legal system from succeeding.

Our Team

Amy Santee
Chief Program Officer
Bio
LaBrisa Williams-Hurling
Program Officer
Bio
Katelynn Sorenson
Program Coordinator
Bio

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Recent stories & news

Women in Recovery is Nationally Recognized
The New York Times, Nicholas Kristof examines how the GKFF partner program breaks addiction cycles and reunites families.