County jail unveils pod dedicated to veterans
Oklahoma County Jail officials on Tuesday unveiled a newly-repainted room dedicated to those who have served in the United States armed forces as part of an effort to increase mental health treatment for inmates.
Jail officials said they hope that the refurbished pod, a group of 50 cells with a maximum capacity of 98 inmates, will show inmates who have served in the military that law enforcement officials care about them even when they're incarcerated. They also hope that the pod will boost the morale of jail employees.
Oklahoma County Sheriff P.D. Taylor said he thinks it's important to pay tribute to those who have served the nation at home and abroad.
“It's really just our way of honoring those people,” Taylor said. “We have a lot of employees that work here at the sheriff's office ( who served), including myself,” Taylor said. “My professional staff and my jail administrators came to me with an idea of doing something special for people who served in the armed forces. It means a lot to us.”
Taylor said three inmates painted the pod, which is covered with emblems from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. Inmates painted American flags on the columns of the room, and they painted a large eagle on a wall on the pod's second floor.
Capt. Gene Bradley, assistant jail administrator, said
the pod fits into the jail's overarching goal of creating day-rooms for inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues.
In 2018, more than 1.7 million veterans received mental healthcare from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA data shows. Post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and depression are some of the issues veterans seek help for the most.
The jail enlists the help of some community organizations in treating mental health issues for inmates.
Members of the Oklahoma Citizen Advocates for Recovery and Transformation Association have already worked with the jail to oversee counseling services for inmates with anger management issues. A caseworker from Turnkey Medical, the jail's medical provider, will work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to help reduce recidivism rates among veterans. And a detention officer at the jail works through the district attorney's office to help move inmates into rehabilitation programs like drug courts, which allow offenders to avoid conviction for some low- level crimes while they receive counseling services.
“With veterans, they have unique resources available to them that people who aren't veterans don't have,” Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Mark Myers said. “Having them all in one pod helps facilitate those resources.”
Myers said jail administrators will meet with VA officials sometime this week to see if the agency is willing to provide additional mental health resources to the jail.
Officials plan to move 36 inmates into the pod beginning next week, Bradley said. By the end of the month, about 90 inmates are expected to be in the pod.
“We wanted to recognize them and honor them even though they may be in jail temporarily,” Taylor said. “This is a family atmosphere. We recognize them, and we respect them, and hopefully they will be proud to be here.”