Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) allows the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) to contract with third parties to provide secondary transport services instead of law enforcement for those in a mental health episode. Alternative transport options frees-up law enforcement time and manpower while further reducing the stigma toward mental illness. The Legislature added $2 million in funding to fund the program. Another bill, Senate Bill 38 (SB 38) further strengthens Oklahoma’s drug courts and gives them more flexibility to use appropriated funds. Oklahoma County’s Drug Court has been a critical piece in the puzzle of how to do more to respond to Vera’s 5th Recommendation. The Legislature’s budget for ODMHSAS included the following additional funding that will direct significant dollars toward much needed diversion services including in OK County: • $7.5 million for additional urgent care and crisis centers • $3 million for mobile crisis teams to respond to and diffuse crisis situations in communities • $2 million will allow ODMHSAS to expand its highly successful mobile tech program with law enforcement officers statewide, allowing for on demand treatment
access via tablet to Oklahomans experiencing a mental health crisis. A pilot is already up and running in OK County. • $500,000 will continue a pilot project in five county jails, including the OK County Detention Center, that provides offenders with access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid and alcohol dependence. • $500,000 for mental health support services for law enforcement including more Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) courses for first responders and additional program growth. ODMHSAS Commissioner and CJAC Member Carrie Slatton-Hodges is encouraged by the progress made this legislative session. “This investment in mental health crisis and early intervention services will have an immediate impact on Oklahoma. There is no doubt lives will be saved and people in crisis will more likely get the help they need,” Slatton-Hodges said. As more Oklahoma County residents have access to these services, less of them will be intersecting with the criminal justice system and the detention center.
FACILITIES SUBCOMMITTEE LEADS MAJOR EFFORT TO STUDY FUTURE DETENTION FACILITY
It is no secret that the OK County Detention Center has incredible challenges. It’s also no secret that those challenges have been present for two decades or more. As other CJAC Subcommittees have focused on the pretrial system, case processing and data upgrades and analysis, the Facilities Subcommittee took on the monumental task of determining what should be done with the outdated, overused, and poorly designed jail. Co-chaired by CJAC Members Sue Ann Arnall and Dan Straughan, the subcommittee’s focus is to identify and pursue opportunities for additional space or facility modifications to expand and reconfigure jail operations, adopt measures to increase efficient use of resources and
begin a long-term planning process regarding the viability of the current jail and the potential need for a new facility. CJAC Member Rev. Theodis Manning also serves on the subcommittee. Earlier in the year, the Facilities Subcommittee recognized that to conduct a thorough assessment of the detention center, professional help would be necessary. Working with numerous community stakeholders in the mental health/substance abuse field, those formerly incarcerated, law enforcement officials, and other citizens, the subcommittee requested proposals toward three main solutions: What are costs, logistical issues, and staffing needs for either a new jail facility, a renovation of the
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