Some of the Tulsa area’s top law enforcement officials argue that in some ways, the criminal justice system needs to be more involved in mental health cases.
At a mental health forum for state lawmakers Wednesday morning, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado claimed repeated arrests for people with mental illness or drug addiction are “an unintended consequence” of the passage of State Question 781 in 2016. The ballot measure lowered simple drug possession to a misdemeanor with its passage.
While many medical experts agree that prison isn’t an effective solution to drug addiction, Regalado argued his mechanism for getting people into treatment has been eliminated.
"After its passage, we saw the numbers in mental health court and drug court plummet. So what does that tell us? That addiction, the addict and those suffering from mental illness, are no longer getting that forced treatment, and now they’re still out in the streets," Regalado said.
However, Regalado did say that treatment experts — not law enforcement — should respond to mentally ill people.
"It’s not fair to the people who suffer from addiction and mental health, it’s not fair to the people whose job it is to deal with that and aren’t, and it’s sad for the people who are there languishing in our jail because we’ve failed them," he said.
District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said Oklahoma needs more judicial oversight for people who are mentally unfit for trial or sent to a facility. Oklahoma currently requires an annual judicial review of mental health cases. He argued greater judicial oversight would help better determine if people committed to the state forensic center in Vinita are eligible to graduate from the facility, and give them benchmarks to meet.
Kunzweiler's daughter stabbed him in a mental health episode last year.
"My wife and I were actively involved in her oversight, but many of these people are from Lawton or from distant reaches, and can't afford to come up. And what ends up happening is a loss of hope," he said.
Kunzweiler and Regalado were joined by other state criminal justice officials and mental health experts. The panelists identified issues in criminal justice and mental health in Oklahoma and suggested solutions to state lawmakers in attendance.
State Sen. Kevin Matthews recommended the panel meet regularly to give lawmakers recommendations.
"I've seen organizations, people, really stepping up with fantastic ideas and initiatives and really putting the work in because you can really see interest they have in this. But it's unorganized, and I think that when we can put all these things together, the state of Oklahoma really has the chance to be at the forefront of treating mental illness and addiction," Regalado said.
