A new Oklahoma law is designed to clarify how incarceration savings tied to State Questions 780 and 781 are calculated so counties receive the proper funding for rehabilitation, mental health and drug court programs.
House Bill 4408, authored by Oklahoma Representative Meloyde Blancett, requires the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide crime data to the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, also known as LOFT. The office must then calculate annual savings and avoided incarceration costs connected to crimes reclassified under State Question 780.
Blancett said the measure is intended to strengthen the County Community Safety Investment Fund, which was created under State Question 781.
“This law is the first step in much needed reform of the County Community Safety Investment Fund, which is the core of SQ 781,” Blancett said. “There is still more work to be done, but I am thankful to get this measure across the finish line and continue to work toward creating smart actions that actually work to help rehabilitate individuals and in turn save taxpayer dollars, thereby improving public safety. Incarceration can’t be the only tool in the toolbox.”
The County Community Safety Investment Fund helps counties pay for programs including mental health and substance abuse treatment, treatment courts, employment and job training services, rehabilitative education and transitional housing support.
Oklahoma voters approved State Questions 780 and 781 in 2016. State Question 780 reduced certain nonviolent drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, while State Question 781 directed incarceration savings toward county-based rehabilitation and diversion programs.
According to a 2025 report from Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, the state has saved more than $200 million since the measures took effect and has invested about $37.5 million into mental health and substance abuse services across 44 Oklahoma counties.
