It seems most of the more than 450 inmates who left Oklahoma prisons last month had a place to call home when they left.
Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless Associate Director Noe Rodriguez said they’ve seen a few released in the nation’s largest one-day commutation come through.
"I think it’s three to four, and we haven’t had many. So, obviously, they’re doing a great job if that’s all we’re seeing at the Tulsa Day Center, but it seems like there may be a few that have slipped through the cracks," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said Tulsa police officers on a downtown impact team have been making the connection and asking Day Center staff to help those people figure out their next steps to get housing.
Several prisons hosted resource fairs before releasing inmates. Those fairs brought together an array of service organizations, including ones offering housing or referrals for housing.
Mental Health Association Oklahoma Chief Housing Officer Greg Shinn has some concerns about inmates being released on a more regular basis than last month's event.
"The community collaborative effort because of the large, one-day commutation did bring multiple resource fairs where a lot of resources came together at once, and that won’t happen if two people are getting out on one day in a county in rural Oklahoma," Shinn said.
Shinn also said there isn't a good system in place for tracking former inmates to make sure they stay in housing after their released from prison.
