Concerns over COVID relief money earmarked for mental health facility next to new jail

OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) - A group is voicing concerns about the COVID relief money earmarked for a behavioral health center adjacent to what would be a new county jail.

"The functionality of the mental health facility has always been deemed more appropriate,” county commissioner Brian Maughan said. “If it's adjacent to a mental health facility and a jail facility working totally together."

"The reality is Oklahoma County for decades has needed proactive preventative mental health care out in the front in our communities,” said people’s counsel for justice reform member Sara Bana.

The back and forth battle in the planning for a new Oklahoma County jail continues. At a proposed site for the new jail in southeast Oklahoma City Friday morning, the people’s counsel for justice reform voiced concerns with the $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds earmarked for a behavioral health center next to the jail.

"They need to take that $40 million or $50 million or whatever is left in those ARPA funds and give it to the communities to do good in the community,” people’s counsel for justice reform member Mark Faulk said.

The group said they want to see that money go to community mental health facilities or even infrastructure instead. That’s something Maughan said is possible, but without that money and the rising cost of the jail that’s more than doubled, he doesn’t believe they’ll be able to put a mental health facility there any time soon.

"If we could get this land thing figured out, we could go ahead and move forward with the building and the mental health facility first and have that secured,” he said.

The design firm over the jail feels that the new mental health facility next to the jail could change the game, but not everyone is on board.

“They can actually be diverted and go into a non-incarcerated status at the behavioral care center, go through treatment sessions that range from three days to one month as determined by the doctor working with the patient,” Jeff Bradley with design/architecture firm HOK said.

"It's important that we prioritize humane and just solutions over carceral system expansion,” state Sen. Connie Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, said.

A meeting is slated for Monday. This topic is one that KFOR was told will be discussed. Maughan said he hopes they’re able to take action on Monday as well.