Diversion Programs – Do They Work?

A shocking recent article questions whether the diversionary rehab programs judges use for defendants in Oklahoma really work. The article, titled “They thought they were going to rehab. They ended up in chicken plants”, describes courts’ routine practice of sending defendants convicted of minor crimes or serving suspended sentences to Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery (CAAIR) and other rehabilitation programs. Rather than focusing on addiction treatment, it says that CAAIR sends defendants to work for free doing hard labor at a poultry plant. When they get sick or slow down, they are sent to prison. People convicted of crimes may...

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