The Program

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Helping young men take the 1st Step to better lives.

Oklahoma is a nationwide leader in imprisoning young men, many of them for nonviolent offenses. Imprisoning young men for nonviolent offenses is expensive. The 1st Step program saved Oklahoma taxpayers $3.3 million from 2017–2020 and delivered a 92% success rate, relieving our overcrowded prisons, reducing recidivism, and changing lives for the better.


Helping young men stay out of prison and take their 1st Steps to better, more productive lives is our mission—here is the proven, evidence-based program that makes it possible.

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Four Phases. One Goal. Improving Lives.

1st Step is a four-phase program. Young men advance through the program after meeting certain milestones under supervision of our staff.

Preventing Relapse and Developing Recovery Skills.

Young men learn how to avoid relapse, identify internal and external triggers, develop coping skills, adopt lifestyle changes, and understand addiction as a disease process of the brain. Young men are not encouraged to work yet and are not allowed to drive. They live communally in one of 1st Step’s residential, supervised, sober-living houses, and every week must attend one individual treatment session and two Peer Recovery Support groups.

Getting Back On Their Feet and Learning to Make Better Choices.

Young men learn critical decision-making skills with Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and “How to Escape Your Prison” curriculum. Young men are expected to have part-time employment and are allowed to drive. They may continue living in 1st Step’s supervising housing, and every week must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and two Peer Recovery Support groups. Young men with a high school diploma begin taking G.E.D. coursework.

Breaking Away From Past Mistakes and Building On Their Recovery.

Young men continue to build on their recovery by using the “Helping Men Recover” curriculum. This curriculum helps them develop coping and life skills, manage setbacks, and understand the internal and external triggers that provoked their past criminal behavior. Young men are expected to have a full-time job and/or be in school, and seek independent housing, where they are responsible for paying rent. Every week they must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and one Peer Recovery Support Group. They also undergo random urine analysis.

Learning To Be A Better Man and Developing Skills To Rejoin Society.

Young men learn how to be prepared for life after graduation, including setbacks, relapse readiness, maintenance needs, and life skills. Young men must be living independently and working at their full-time, living-wage job for no less than 90 days to graduate. Every week they must attend one treatment session and one Peer Recovery Support. If our staff believes the young man has achieved all of the expectations of Phases I-IV, he has earned the right to graduate and rejoin society as a better husband, father, citizen, and man. 

Three men are sitting in chairs laughing and playing a game.

Preventing Relapse and Developing Recovery Skills.

Young men learn how to avoid relapse, identify internal and external triggers, develop coping skills, adopt lifestyle changes, and understand addiction as a disease process of the brain. Young men are not encouraged to work yet and are not allowed to drive. They live communally in one of 1st Step’s residential, supervised, sober-living houses, and every week must attend one individual treatment session and two Peer Recovery Support groups.

Getting Back On Their Feet and Learning to Make Better Choices.

Young men learn critical decision-making skills with Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and “How to Escape Your Prison” curriculum. Young men are expected to have part-time employment and are allowed to drive. They may continue living in 1st Step’s supervising housing, and every week must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and two Peer Recovery Support groups. Young men with a high school diploma begin taking G.E.D. coursework.

Breaking Away From Past Mistakes and Building On Their Recovery.

Young men continue to build on their recovery by using the “Helping Men Recover” curriculum. This curriculum helps them develop coping and life skills, manage setbacks, and understand the internal and external triggers that provoked their past criminal behavior. Young men are expected to have a full-time job and/or be in school, and seek independent housing, where they are responsible for paying rent. Every week they must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and one Peer Recovery Support Group. They also undergo random urine analysis.

Learning To Be A Better Man and Developing Skills To Rejoin Society.

Young men learn how to be prepared for life after graduation, including setbacks, relapse readiness, maintenance needs, and life skills. Young men must be living independently and working at their full-time, living-wage job for no less than 90 days to graduate. Every week they must attend one treatment session and one Peer Recovery Support. If our staff believes the young man has achieved all of the expectations of Phases I-IV, he has earned the right to graduate and rejoin society as a better husband, father, citizen, and man. 

Phase I Stabilization

Preventing Relapse and Developing Recovery Skills.

Young men learn how to avoid relapse, identify internal and external triggers, develop coping skills, adopt lifestyle changes, and understand addiction as a disease process of the brain. Young men are not encouraged to work yet and are not allowed to drive. They live communally in one of 1st Step’s residential, supervised, sober-living houses, and every week must attend one individual treatment session and two Peer Recovery Support groups.

Phase II Engagement

Getting Back On Their Feet and Learning to Make Better Choices.

Young men learn critical decision-making skills with Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and “How to Escape Your Prison” curriculum. Young men are expected to have part-time employment and are allowed to drive. They may continue living in 1st Step’s supervising housing, and every week must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and two Peer Recovery Support groups. Young men with a high school diploma begin taking G.E.D. coursework.

Phase III Maintenance

Breaking Away From Past Mistakes and Building On Their Recovery.

Young men continue to build on their recovery by using the “Helping Men Recover” curriculum. This curriculum helps them develop coping and life skills, manage setbacks, and understand the internal and external triggers that provoked their past criminal behavior. Young men are expected to have a full-time job and/or be in school, and seek independent housing, where they are responsible for paying rent. Every week they must attend two treatment groups, one individual treatment session, and one Peer Recovery Support Group. They also undergo random urine analysis.

Phase IV Transition

Learning To Be A Better Man and Developing Skills To Rejoin Society.

Young men learn how to be prepared for life after graduation, including setbacks, relapse readiness, maintenance needs, and life skills. Young men must be living independently and working at their full-time, living-wage job for no less than 90 days to graduate. Every week they must attend one treatment session and one Peer Recovery Support. If our staff believes the young man has achieved all of the expectations of Phases I-IV, he has earned the right to graduate and rejoin society as a better husband, father, citizen, and man. 

In addition to the basic core programs above, young men must attend classes in life skills, parenting, financial literacy, and (if needed) couple’s counseling and anger management.

Three men are sitting in chairs laughing and playing a game.
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Every Step in 1st Step.

Under the direct supervision of our professional staff, young men enrolled in 1st Step follow a proven, evidence-based model for rehabilitating nonviolent offenders. This process is focused on developing better decision-making skills, identifying triggers, avoiding relapse, and becoming stable, productive members of society.

Sober-Living Housing

Young men live communally in supervised, sober-living houses either owned by 1st Step or leased with established, sober-living organizations. Sober living provides young men security, discipline, and distance from negative relationships that can harm their progress. Young men must strictly follow house rules, with supervision by the District Court responsible for ensuring public safety.

Treatment

Providing young men with proven, evidence-based counseling is critical to the program. Young men receive counseling in individual and group settings with skilled professionals who help them develop better decision-making skills. While working at their jobs and living communally in a sober-living house, young men also learn to solve problems and lead successful, crime-free lives. Where appropriate, young men also attend NA or AA classes in a regular 12-step program.

Job Placement

Getting a job and starting a career are critical for young men to develop responsible, law-abiding lifestyles. Throughout the program, providers and consultants provide assessment, counseling, training, and job placement, helping each young man create his own career path — achieving financial independence, self confidence, and community acceptance.

Mentoring

Young men who may have grown up without positive role models learn to cope with life’s challenges under the guidance of ​experienced and empathetic mentors. Many of our mentors speak from experience, and are men who have turned their lives around to become law-abiding citizens. 1st Step partners with Stand In The Gap to recruit, train, place and monitor at least one mentor per participant.

Education

Education is one of the highest priorities for the program. Young men must earn their high school diploma or obtain a G.E.D. if they haven’t already. Additionally, young men receive advanced education through a partnership with Tulsa Community College and Tulsa Tech. Education instills skills and builds confidence, while removing barriers which contribute to unhealthy relationships and lifestyles.

Success

Young men don’t simply complete the program—they earn it. 1st Step is a rigorous, but compassionate program that helps keep young men out of prison, now and in the future. Graduates must be in compliance with all court orders, and be able to live with personal responsibility, social skills, educational and career achievements, and a commitment to community and good citizenship.

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Work Readiness Program.

1st Step’s in-house Work Readiness Program focuses on preparing 1st Step participants in skills and perspectives needed for employment.

The program objectives are to help participants:


  • Develop self-esteem and self-confidence in their worth and their employability.
  • Understand expectations of employers.
  • Develop skills that will improve employment opportunities and generate a positive impression.
  • Overcome toxic barriers which prevent young men from gaining and keeping employment. Toxic barriers include negative stereotypes of masculinity such as not expressing emotion, disrespecting authority, and disrespecting women.
1st Step Work Readiness Program Participants Studying

Work Readiness participants complete an assessment to identify employment related interests and skills. They address topics such as mechanisms for finding employment, best ways to write a resume and cover letter, how to dress for employment — including a visit to a shop to select interview and court-appearance appropriate attire, embracing change, 21st century workplace skills, emotional intelligence, effective responses to email and text messages, and insights into verbal and non-verbal communication.


Homework assignments are based on the curriculum and the book Employment Success by John Liptak. The course is presented in 8 sessions over 4 weeks by Suited for Life Consultant Maurice Nelson.

You can help change a life. Join our mission and help these young men take the 1st Step to a better future.