OKLAHOMA CITY — Spending on crime, incarceration, and corrections would be reduced in Oklahoma if the minimum wage were raised to $15, according to a report.
Higher wages could help break the “cycle of poverty and incarceration” while reducing the burden on law enforcement, according to a report from This Land Research and Communications Collaborative , a nonpartisan research group. The report was compiled by Scioto Analysis , a public policy analysis firm.
“We find that a $15 minimum wage could yield significant public safety benefits for Oklahoma, particularly by reducing violent crime and its associated human and economic toll,” the report found. “These effects are most concentrated among young, low-wage populations and may help mitigate some of the state’s historically high