THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 32 | FEBRUARY 2026 Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. values that lead to a prosocial and flourishing adult life. Moreover, the younger the offender, the more likely their brain has enough neuroplasticity to mold in structure and function to think, feel and act within a culture for a successful life. On the other hand, “career criminals” are generally older individuals who have engaged in antisocial behavior for most of their lives; their brains have been shaped by the knowledge, attitude and actions of the correctional incarceration and the criminal justice culture, not the highly functional culture of flourishing adults. Having passed beyond the age of maximum brain neuroplasticity, these offenders find it more difficult to respond to habilitation strategies.6 Many juvenile and young adult offenders grew up in poverty or experienced childhood traumatic events or absent parental guidance. For example, in 1st Step, 70% of participants grew up without a father in their lives. Lacking positive male role models or stable support, these men never acquired the critical skills of emotional regulation, healthy decision-making or readiness for employment. As one participant candidly admitted before intervention, “I don’t care what you say. I’m going to sell drugs for the rest of my life. That is what I do, and it’s all I know how to do.” This stark statement underscores that crime was the only “skill” he had ever learned, a clear call for habilitation over rehabilitation.7 Habilitation diversion programs aim to break this cycle of learning a secure antisocial or criminal career by helping offenders develop the brain pathways that form the decision-making skills, values and habits for a productive prosocial life. Rather than sending a young man to prison, where his brain becomes programmed to a criminal livelihood, diversion to a habilitation program repairs the parenting, schooling, childhood and adolescent development he missed. Moreover, it keeps him in the community under structured support. He can learn job skills, complete his education and recover from addiction or trauma. He can develop the values and virtues of honesty, loyalty and responsibility while demonstrating accountability for his changing trajectory in life. Crucially, this approach treats the root causes of criminal behavior, such as failed life stage development, becoming addicted to substances or adopting nonvirtuous ideas and attitudes. Research has shown that simply punishing or incarcerating individuals without helping to shape the neuronal connections for flourishing and virtuous socialization yields poor results. On the other hand, programs that provide a virtuous social environment with appreciation and guidance to achieve positive adult goals build competencies and life choices that significantly reduce recidivism rates. In short, habilitation corrects deficits in thinking, feeling and acting that often underlie a person’s unlawful deeds and prevents them from becoming a career criminal.8 From a funder’s perspective, the focus on root causes of criminal behavior means a smarter investment. Every dollar spent on habilitation can save many more dollars down the line by averting future crimes and costly incarcerations. It costs taxpayers considerably less to employ the internal motivating forces in the developing brains of a misguided young man than to imprison him for years. In Oklahoma, for instance, over 13,000 people are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses, one of the highest rates in the nation. Programs that divert even a fraction of these individuals away from incarceration and toward productive lives yield substantial social and economic returns. By keeping families whole and turning would-be career criminals into tax-paying citizens,
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