Oklahoma County officials approved a motion to dissolve the jail trust that operates the county’s detention center during a special Budget Board meeting on Wednesday morning. If the jail trust is dissolved, the facility would fall back under the county sheriff’s control.
The jail trust, formally known as the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, was created six years ago to address persistent issues at the Oklahoma County jail. Community leaders recognized a need for change in oversight and hoped a panel of diverse perspectives would bring new outcomes for the troubled facility.
But the trust has been the subject of near-constant controversy since it began, unable to address poor conditions inside the county lock-up. The jail has gained notoriety for repeated failed inspections, detainee deaths and insufficient staffing.
Discussions about shuttering the trust and returning oversight to the sheriff are not new. Last year, Rev. Derrick Scobey threatened an internal vote before backing down. Scobey spoke at length on Wednesday morning, expressing increased frustration about communication between jail officials and the trust.
Commissioner Jason Lowe, who has been a vocal critic of jail operations, moved to dissolve the trust completely.
“The trust has been a failed experiment,” Lowe said. “$5 million deficits, more than 60 deaths, unilateral pay raises. Enough is enough.”
Six board members voted to approve Lowe’s request, including Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, who would be responsible for taking on the troubled jail. County Commissioner Brian Maughan voted against the measure. Paul Foster, chief of staff for Commissioner Myles Davidson, abstained.
For the jail trust to be terminated, its members must unanimously agree to dissolve. Then, the Board of County Commissioners would need to approve the decision.
Multiple members of the trust and all three county commissioners are on the Budget Board. It is unclear what dissolution would mean for a handful of lawsuits filed against the trust or any remaining debt it carries.
Wednesday’s special meeting was called to discuss the jail’s impending multi-million dollar shortfall, which officials said will force jail staff to be cut in half when money runs dry in May.
"It's probably going to be ugly,” Jail Administrator Tim Kimrey told the county Budget Evaluation Team in January. “What do you want me to tell you? I guess we could start having bake sales out front of the jail.”
Budget Evaluation Team Chairman Cody Compton said other jail officials have not made clear exactly why the jail is running out of money, despite repeated requests for information.
“We consistently get inconsistent information,” he said. “And that's troubling to try to figure out what the actual problem is.”
Still, he told the board his team decided, by majority vote, to request $2.6 million in reserve funds from county settlements with opioid manufacturers and an electronic cigarette company for the jail to prevent it from performing massive layoffs.
Before the vote, current jail trust chairman, Jim Holman, told the board the jail has been underfunded for years and is in desperate need of county support.
"I do believe if this vote is turned down, that it would be fiscally responsible to begin furloughs or layoffs immediately," he said.
County officials denied the request but acknowledged the urgency to find a solution.
“I think we're kind of shooting in the dark and just sending more money over without the understanding of what it is actually going to,” Sheriff Johnson said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
