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 **The Tulsa Sobering Center: A Money,
            Time, and Life Saving Alternative to Jail** December 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 11
  “I went to the same call over and over again, encountered  the same individual, and ended up arresting them on the same charge: public  intoxication,” said an officer at the Tulsa Sobering Center’s 2018 Open House  for Law Enforcement. Like many others in the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Police Department  (TPD), he was frustrated with the futility of locking people up for simply being  drunk in public—not to mention the waste of time that could be devoted to more  pressing public safety needs. In Tulsa, where approximately 60 percent of municipal  arrests were for public intoxication, law enforcement officers, local criminal  justice professionals, and members of the community, were all fed up with a  process that does little to solve the problem of alcohol abuse—and in fact  compounds it. In addition to the  cost of housing offenders in jail, there’s the financial burden on arrested individuals  and their families, which can include loss of income as well as court costs. Moreover,  putting substance abusers behind bars seldom cures them of addiction. If  anything, it may make them more dependent. A 24/7 Center for Sobering Up and Getting Treatment To turn the  situation around, the TPD collaborated with 12&12, a Comprehensive  Addiction Recovery Center (CCARC) to create the Tulsa Sobering Center (TSC). A  24/7 facility which provides a place to “sleep it off” for adults who meet the  legal definition of intoxication, TSC can keep individuals who have committed  no other offense out of the criminal justice system while also helping  them get treatment for their addiction. According to  TPD Deputy Chief Jonathan Brooks, from the opening of the center in May, 2018  to August of 2019, more than 1,000 people have been detained at the center,  with only about 103 offenders returning to it. *Benefits to Departments and Communities around the Country* The Tulsa Police Department has already experienced many benefits from opening a sobering center, as have other cities such as Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, California: Connecting adults who suffer from alcoholism or  other addiction, to long-term counseling and rehabilitation programs
              Improving public safety by reducing the number  of addicted adults
              Generating significant municipal cost-savings based  on reduced jail and police expenses.
              Saving officer time by addressing the needs of  intoxicated individuals quickly so the officers can return to work promptly to  address other issues
              Saving staff and court time in overworked city  courts
              Allowing individuals guilty of no other offense  to avoid court costs, fines, and criminal prosecution
              Avoiding the financial and other repercussions  to families who rely on the individual for care and support
 A Low Recidivism Rate He attributes this low recidivism rate to the counseling  and rehabilitation 12&12 provides, as well as their medically supervised drug  or alcohol detoxification treatment. While detainees are in the center, they  can choose to take advantage of any of these services and continue as long as  needed. So far, 95 people have entered the detox program and 46 of them have  moved into residential treatment. Though officers are required to send individuals accused  of additional charges, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, to jail,  they can use their discretion to take inebriated adults accused of no other  offense directly to the center, where detainees are held for 10 to 12 hours. At  the end of the holding period, these individuals are released without criminal  charges, court dates, or a record of arrest. A Time and Money Saving Investment The center, which can house up to 25 men and 17 women, was  built with a donation from the Tulsa-based Hardesty Family Foundation; the city  of Tulsa pays 12 & 12, Inc. to operate it. It’s an investment that pays off in various ways. The  financial savings from not having to keep as many people in jail is one  benefit, but just as important is the time savings for officers who will not be  tied up with the paperwork required to make an arrest and can return to the  field faster. Deputy Chief Brooks estimates that it takes 90 minutes to book  someone into jail, but an average of 10 minutes to get someone into the  Sobering Center. Sending individuals to the center instead of jail also saves  them and their families court costs and fines, as well as the collateral damage  from job loss. Most importantly, it has been successful in directing many of  them into treatment programs. Positive Outcomes and Support from the Field Brooks recalls the story of a woman who had been in and  out of jail several times as a result of her addiction. She had lost her job, her  family, and home, and had resorted to prostitution for income. According to  Brooks, since entering the TSC, she has turned her life around and now has a stable  job and family situation. “She credits the police officer who delivered her to the  Sobering Center and the treatment services from 12&12 for making it  possible,” says Brooks. “And she’s not unusual. Many others in the program have  been connected to treatment and peer groups that gave them the support they  needed to continue, find housing and jobs.” The TPD officers have been equally enthusiastic about the  TSC. “Initially, there was some resistance,” says Brooks. “But they’ve seen the  real, positive outcomes in people’s lives, as well as a reduction in repeat and  unnecessary arrests. Plus, they are very happy about how quickly they can get a  participant into the TSC and return to the streets.“ A Common Sense Solution Moreover, the entire Tulsa community benefits from the  TSC. Connecting addicted individuals with continuing care reduces the number of  adults who end up behind bars and unable to work or care for their families. By treating those who are addicted to alcohol or other  substances—or preventing first-time offenders from going down that path—the TSC  program saves the police, the city, and the courts time and money, while also  improving the safety and quality of life for members of the community. In a July 10, 2019 article in *Tulsa World*, Mayor  G.T. Bynum called the center a key resource for police officers, the municipal  court, and the city as a whole. “This first year in operation shows what we can  accomplish when we put common sense programs in place that focus on underlying  causes of crime: better outcomes for residents, better use of taxpayer dollars,  and a safer city for us all,” Bynum said. Faye Elkins
        Sr. Technical Writer Tweet
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