Facility to Help Individuals into Recovery Programs and Save Police Officer Time
May 29, 2018 - Mayor G.T. Bynum and 12 & 12, Inc. (12 & 12) held a ribbon cutting today to celebrate the completion of the Tulsa Sobering Center, a jail diversion program designed to offer an alternative for adult men and women detained for public intoxication.
In collaboration with the Tulsa Police Department, the Tulsa Sobering Center will be operated by 12 & 12, a leader in addiction treatment and recovery. 12 &12 will be able to connect adults who suffer with alcoholism or other addictions, to opportunities to access its long-term counseling and rehabilitation programs for substance abuse treatment.
Mayor Bynum praised the public/private partnership that will help serve a larger community-wide effort to reduce the number of adults with mental illness and substance use disorders who are incarcerated.
“In a model that has worked across the country, Tulsa is developing an option for individuals that will lead toward greater self-care and better outcomes while providing substantial cost savings to our Tulsa Police Department and Municipal Courts based on reduced jail and police expenses,” Bynum said.
“Operating the Tulsa Sobering Center, in the Hardesty Wing at our main facility, will allow us to connect participants who suffer with alcoholism or other addictions to opportunities to access our nationally accredited counseling and rehabilitation programs for substance abuse treatment,” Bryan Day, CEO of 12 & 12 said.
At the discretion of the detaining police officer, adults detained for public intoxication, who have not committed any other crimes, will be taken to the Tulsa Sobering Center for a 10-hour period to “sleep it off” in a safe clean environment. During their stay, participants will be provided with food, a place to rest and at their discretion, information about and access to counseling and rehabilitation programs for substance abuse.
At the end of the holding period, adults will be released from Tulsa Sobering Center without criminal charges, court dates or a record of arrest. Also, 12 & 12 will arrange for participants to be transported, by a third-party, to an off-site location of the participant’s choosing.
In February, officials started a complete overhaul of an existing facility at 12 & 12 to transform a space that will house up to 42 participants simultaneously with a maximum of 25 males and 17 females. Participants are separated by gender.
The Tulsa Sobering Center is a 24/7/365 operation which is utilized at the sole discretion of the Tulsa Police Department. The Sobering Center facility is not open to the public.
“The Sobering Center will have an immediate positive impact and benefit to the community and the Tulsa Police Department,” Tulsa Police Deputy Chief Jonathan Brooks said. “Police operations will benefit by reducing the amount of time officers dedicate to individuals struggling with substance abuse, which in turn will allow officers to return to patrol faster to address other pressing matters throughout the city. The Sobering Center is a true community policing approach that will benefit the city collectively by reducing burden on the entire criminal justice system.”
The City of Tulsa will provide $250,000 annually for 12 & 12 to operate the Sobering Center. Build-out costs for the facility were paid by a private donation to 12 & 12 from the Hardesty Family Foundation. The construction company for the project was Black Rock Construction Management, LLC.
For more information about the Tulsa Sobering Center, visit: www.tulsapolice.org
About 12 & 12, Inc.
12 & 12, Inc. is a Comprehensive Community Addiction Recovery Center (CCARC) that offers life-saving recovery tools for adults suffering with addiction or co-existing mental health and substance use disorders to achieve individualized recoveries. For more information about 12 & 12 Inc., visit: www.12and12.org
Community Policing in Tulsa
Composed of community members and city and police officials, the Tulsa Commission on Community Policing submitted 77 recommendations focused on community policing needs in Tulsa. One recommendation from the Commission was the addition of jail diversion programs that benefits the entire community. You can continue to track the progress of the recommendations by visiting, www.cityoftulsa.org/dashboards
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