The Oklahoma County Detention Center in Oklahoma City has now twice refused inspections from the State Department of Health which has led to a political dispute between the county’s district attorney and the health department.
Jail officials feel that unannounced visits put undue strain on staff and have demanded that the Health Department conduct their inspections on a scheduled date.
Start of Dispute
On June 25, county officials refused entry to a health inspector who had come for a surprise inspection to check up on the health conditions at the county jail.
The jail told the inspector that they currently did not have enough staff present to allow the inspection and turned them away.
Not in Compliance
The Oklahoma Health Department recorded this incident in official documentation, describing the jail as not in compliance because of what happened.
“On June 25, 2024, Oklahoma State Department of Health staff attempted to conduct an unannounced annual inspection and investigations,” the document said. “Based on the violation(s) cited below the facility is not in substantial compliance.”
Jail Inspection Offer
Officials in charge of the jail offered the Health Department an opportunity to conduct the inspection at an agreed-upon date which the department subsequently refused in a July 1 letter.
“We will not be deterred from obtaining an accurate understanding of how the facility operates on a day-to-day basis and decline your invitation for a planned and potentially curated inspection,” wrote Health Commissioner Keith Reed in the letter.
History of Noncompliance
In the letter, Reed accused the jail facility of having a history of “noncompliance with basic health, safety, and sanitary standards.”
Reed was also worried about the excuse given about low staffing levels. If the jail doesn’t have enough staff for an inspection, then what else doesn’t it have enough staff for?
Second Visit
The Health Department was undeterred by the inspection rebuff and tried another surprise inspection again on July 9 but they were yet again turned away.
“At 9:48 a.m., on 07/09/24, facility staff A reported, inspectors will not be allowed to enter the facility, as there was not enough staff to support the inspection process,” wrote the Oklahoma State Department of Health in official documentation.
Oklahoma District Attorney
This second visit from the Health Department prompted a response from the state’s district attorney’s office, which accused the Health Department of exceeding its authority.
“The Department of Health has once again exceeded its lawful authority in attempting to conduct the unannounced inspection of the Detention Center on this date,” said the letter to the Health Department.
False Statements
The District Attorney’s Office goes further in the letter, accusing the Health Department of making false statements and declares their notices void.
“Not only is the Notice of Non-Compliance issued by the Department void, it contains false statements of material fact that are actionable by the authority,” the letter said.
Political Standoff
In the DA letter, the offer is once again extended for a scheduled annual inspection to take place with the Health Department that must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the inspection date.
Oklahoma City Free Press reported that a district attorney office spokesperson told them that this was the only comment the office would have on the dispute.
Ninth Failure
According to reports, the Oklahoma County Detention Center has now failed its ninth-straight inspection by the Oklahoma State Department of Health after this latest refusal.
Health Department officials cite state law that allows them to set up unannounced inspections, refuting claims from the District Attorney’s Office that they have exceeded their authority.
Call for Criminal Investigation
Activists are now calling for a criminal probe into the jail and its leadership over the repeated refusal to allow health inspections.
“It’s not that hard to see that the county is completely negligent, that the United States Department of Justice needs to take this jail over effective immediately,” said Christopher Johnston, a member of the People’s Council for Justice Reform.
Leadership Failure
According to Johnston, these health inspection failures started in 2020 when the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority took control of operations from the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.
“Immediately when they took over, since we haven’t passed a health inspection,” Johnston said. “Our first failed health inspection was February 18th, 2020, And from then on, we have failed every single time with the overwhelming amount of issues having to do with management, having to do with things about people, not the building.”
