District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas today announced the upcoming launch of the About Face Women’s Offender Program, a new one-year residential initiative that will work to rehabilitate non-violent female offenders through career training, counseling, and community-based mentorship. The program, set to open this month, is the first of its kind in Oklahoma and was developed in response to the ongoing challenge of reducing repeat offenses among women offenders. It will also provide for long-term monitoring after the in-house phase.
“Real rehabilitation doesn’t happen by accident—it requires structure, accountability, and opportunity,” said Thomas. “Most of these women have never had a stable home, a marketable skill, or anyone to believe in them. Most of them lack a solid education. About Face is designed to change that.”
The program is built around a live-in residential model. Participants will undergo trauma-focused therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, substance and mental health counseling, life-skills development, and parenting. Each woman will be paired with 2 community volunteer mentors, strengthening personal support systems and increasing the likelihood of long-term success. The hallmark feature of this program is the requirement that they earn trade certifications through CareerTech. CareerTech allows stable, well-paying careers in fields in which women are generally underrepresented.
“This is not a handout. This is hard work and hard structure with high expectations,” Thomas said. “I’ve spent 41 years in prosecution. I know what doesn’t work. This does.”
Executive Director Dee Miller, who has been instrumental in developing the program, will lead its day-to-day operations. The program is operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and will launch with an initial class of eight women. “The Board has requested that we keep our first class small so we can identify any needs or changes that need to be made in the program. Judge Katherine Thomas will serve as the reviewing judge.
“Community involvement is essential to this model,” said Miller. “We’re asking for adult women to serve as mentors, volunteers, and people willing to share real-world skills—whether that’s cooking on a budget, job readiness, gardening, financial education, and more.”
Thomas also noted challenges with funding sources. This program is supported by donations and grants, not taxpayer funding or the involvement of distant agencies and bureaucracies with the need to control.
“We will not allow this program to be micromanaged into failure by distant agencies,” Thomas said. “This is a prosecutor-created solution with direct community support and local oversight. That’s what makes it work.”
About Face is actively seeking mentors, volunteers, and supporters. For more information or to get involved, visit www.aboutfaceprogram.org.
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