County officials across the state gave lawmakers an earful about the myriad of issues they face operating local jails.
Those issues include staff turnover, low pay, lack of mental health and medical care, lawsuits, violence, insurance and funding.
“We have a problem in the state of Oklahoma with county jails and something is going on,” said Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant. “This isn’t happening by random chance.”
Bullard requested the interim study to learn more about county jail insurance. The study was held Wednesday before the Senate Local and County Government Committee. Lawmakers use interim studies to help craft legislation.
“We have a problem in our county jails,” Bullard said. “We have got to get some of these addressed. Everybody has got their own little unique problems.”
Bullard said he was considering and seeking feedback on voluntary jail consolidation.
Lost insurance coverageChoctaw County Commissioner Jim Bob Sullivan said his jail’s insurer dropped coverage, and leaders had to shop for a new provider.
“Not everybody wants to cover a high risk jail,” he said. “So, they are hard to find and their coverage is not very good and their deductible is very high.”
The lawsuits against their jail involve offenders who come in on drugs, which has become profitable for attorneys, he said. The jail has been the target of several lawsuits over deaths in the facility, he said.
Pushmataha County Commissioner Mike Brittingham said the liability for jails has increased for several reasons.
“We’ve been put on a watch by the attorneys,” he said. “When they see us have an incident, they are contacting inmates for legal counseling.”
One of the reasons the insurance rates went up was lack of staffing and sexual assault cases inside the facility, Brittingham said.
He said a lot of the inmates are being held on federal charges. There is not a limit on what the counties can be sued for in federal court, he said.
Carter County Commissioner Berry Lee-Brinkman said counties cannot absorb the payment of damages from large lawsuits brought by inmates. He said it has to be passed on to taxpayers.
Access to medical and mental health treatment Lee-Brinkman said paying for appropriate medical care is difficult.
“We cannot afford 24-7 medical care due to the large costs,” he said.
He suggested that the state pay for the costs of inmate medical care.
Atoka County Sheriff Kody Simpson said that in 2019, an offender died of influenza, which might not have happened had the jail been able to provide medical care on site. The death resulted in a $3.2 million lawsuit that the county settled, he said.
County leaders also said their counties struggle to find and access mental health treatment options for inmates.
In Pushmataha County, the jail is not able to house mental health patients. A lack of places to send inmates for care results in jailers or deputies having to sit with offenders 24-7, Brittingham said.
“We need some kind of help with some type of mental institution,” said McCurtain County Commissioner John Wayne Williams.
Poor funding makes it difficult to attract quality employees, he said. Staffing shortages are a safety risk to the employee and offenders, Simpson said.
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