OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An
Oklahoma lawmaker says expanding vocational programs to juvenile
offenders could help divert young criminals from the state prison system
and ultimately save the state millions of dollars.
Broken Arrow Republican Rep. David Brumbaugh presented his proposal Thursday before the House Public Safety Committee.
Brumbaugh says he wants to
expand the programs offered to juvenile offenders to include training
for trades like construction, auto repair, computer technology and
cosmetology. He wants to use funding from Oklahoma's Career and
Technology Education system, or CareerTech, to help pay for the program,
and says judges should have the discretion to force young offenders to
participate in such training as part of their sentence.
Brumbaugh says evidence
from other states suggests similar programs have led to dramatic
declines in recidivism rates among juvenile offenders.
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