Smaller population a bright spot for jail
IT’S likely that federal officials will be in town early in the new year to inspect the Oklahoma County jail. If nothing else, they will find a far less crowded building than the one that prompted federal oversight in 2009. This is noteworthy.
The high-rise jail has been controversial since it opened in 1991, dogged first by escapes and construction flaws, and in later years by infrastructure decay and severe overcrowding. The latter contributed to the Justice Department finding 60 civil rights violations at the jail, which inspectors described in 2009 as chaotic and the site of “unconscionable” violence, abuse and medical neglect.
The county agreed to address those violations and has done so, except for a handful that require structural changes to the building. The Justice Department conducted a “compliance monitoring” tour in 2014, and sought to inspect the jail in November, but county commissioners rejected the request.
The DOJ now says it’s coming, like it or not, as part of the memorandum of understanding the county signed in 2009.
A concern since then has been the possibility of the federal government taking over the jail — and mandating that a new one be built. Construction of a new jail is something county officials have considered in recent years, but the cost is prohibitive. Yet the price tag would be much greater if the feds were to direct the rebuild.
The current jail continues to struggle with infrastructure. Sheriff P.D. Taylor is hoping that by the time inspectors arrive — no date has been set — the jail’s kitchen will be in service again. It’s been off line for months because of issues with mold. And inmate deaths — 12 in 2017 — remain a concern as well.
Yet there are far fewer men and women in the jail today than there have been in years, and that’s significant. Built to house 1,200 inmates, the jail has regularly held at least twice that many. The last time the DOJ visited, in May 2014, the inmate count was 2,700.
Changes implemented by Taylor during 2017 have helped reduce the inmate census. Among them are installation of more security cameras, altering the booking process to make it smoother and safer, and releasing some low-risk inmates on own-recognizance or conditional bonds.
The jail also now administers breathalyzer tests before processing a person arrested on a DUI complaint. If the test doesn’t support the arrest, the person is released instead of going through the timeconsuming booking process.
Reforms by city police and county officials have also helped. Commissioner Brian Maughan noted at a recent meeting that collaboration among various law enforcement factions is greater than at any time in his nine years on the job.
For example, the number of people sent to jail on municipal charges has fallen by 26 percent in the past two years. “Indigency hearings” in municipal court for those who say they can’t afford fines can result in offenders being released on their own recognizance.
In late December, the inmate population was down to 1,560 — an encouraging development, and one we hope federal inspectors will weigh heavily.