Introduction
June 8, 2018 was a notable and sad day for the state of Oklahoma. That was the day newspapers across the state proclaimed in bold letters that in addition to having the highest rate of female incarceration for years, Oklahoma now had the highest overall rate of incarceration as well, giving it the rather dubious title of “the world’s prison capital.” Further, if you were to treat Oklahoma as though it was a nation, it had the highest rate of incarceration in the world. While this knowledge has inspired many to act to reduce both of these rates, they have found it a complex undertaking. Any and all solutions to our problem of mass incarceration require at least as much time and as many strategies as all of the contributing factors took that caused Oklahoma to reach this low point.
It can be difficult to be optimistic amidst the negative press, but people are noticing these depressing statistics and are working toward affecting positive change. Oklahoma’s new governor assumed office in January 2019, and during his inauguration speech, Governor Stitt specifically discussed the need to address incarceration. This curriculum unit heeds Gov. Stitt’s call and empowers youth to join their adult counterparts to find and create effective solutions to Oklahoma’s incarceration problem.
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