Oklahoma County Jail Facility

Modernization Initiative

Twenty years ago the citizens of Oklahoma County were promised a change at the Oklahoma County Jail. The relatively
miniscule issues, at that time, caused a grand jury to recommend 10 administrative changes. Our current Sheriff
campaigned on these issues and assured the people he would fix the jail. Now, two decades later, no solution has ever
been brought forward, much less implemented.
The jail is in worse shape now than ever before and there is only one cause of this massive failure, the current
administration. Like his predecessor, our current Sheriff has been criticized because of his administration of the jail.
Except, his admonition came from a detailed investigation and scathing report from the United States Department of
Justice. The report highlighted 60 serious flaws in the jail which have created an environment of danger, death, and civil
rights violations. Of those, 56 were directly caused by the administration of the jail, not design flaws. The Sheriff cannot
point to a cut in budget or lack of resources as the reason for the dreadful conditions. The Sheriffs budget has increased
from $11m in 1996 to nearly $50m today. Staffing levels have increased 300% since 1996, therefore cannot be used as
an excuse either. With the massive increase in both money and staff, any structural design flaw should have been
mitigated years ago. The simple fact is, the current administration has not properly prioritized the administration of the
jail and has offered no solution to fix it other than to raise taxes.
In this brief, I offer a three phase plan following a transition to new leadership. This initiative calls for a review and audit,
modernizing processes, and building a new jail without raising one tax dollar or saddling the people of Oklahoma County
with any debt. My plan will fix all of the issues relating to administration within the first 90 days allowing us to stop the
hemorrhaging of legal liability which has become common place. It will update and modernize how the current jail is
being administered while the new jail is being built. It will provide a path to opening up 16 acres of prime real estate in
downtown Oklahoma City and remove not only an eye sore but an economic killer in the area. Who wants to build
luxury apartments or retail establishments next to a jail? My plan will also use the sale of the current property to
establish a revenue stabilization fund to protect the current revenue stream needed long term to fund the purchase
agreement of the new jail and ensure that no taxes will ever need to be raised to make our monthly payments.
Ultimately, those who suffer the most from the appalling conditions of the jail are those who are unfortunate enough to
be placed there. Most are low level offenders who are awaiting their day in court who simply need to be reminded that
rejection of crime and reintegration into society benefits everyone. Many are people with mental health issues who, if
recognized, could be treated properly and assisted to function in society. Some are truly bad people who will end up
needing rehabilitation through long term incarceration which should not occur at this facility. However, none who step
foot in that jail deserve to have their civil rights violated, be subject to the most dangerous jail conditions in the entire
country, or face the potential of death as punishment for getting locked up. We are better than that and the people of
Oklahoma County deserve better. I offer my initiative as a new direction for Oklahoma County.
Respectfully,

Mike Christian

www.mikechristian4sheriff.com (405) 604-9105 mikechristian4sheriff@gmail.com

648 SW 41st St. Oklahoma City, OK 73109
Authorized and Paid for by Friends of Mike Christian

Mike Christian Jail Facility Modernization Initiative

Phase 1

Transition Period: Nov-Jan

Audit and Review:

Expenditure Review
Cost/benefit analysis of current expenditures
Verify level of excess spending within OCSO
Financial audit
Policy and Procedure Review
Identify and update improper and outdated procedures (inmate handling, employee advancement, public
interaction, etc.)

Phase 2

Day One: Jan

Modernize Processes:
Booking and Release
Inmate evaluation for proper placement in jail
Classification and processing to be completed within two hours
Inter-agency Communication (Courts, DA, Municipalities, Law Enforcement)
Prioritize Expenditures
Recycle excess spending back into budget
Stakeholder Involvement
Mental health evaluations and care
Implement reintegration plan in conjunction with streamlined booking and release

Phase 3

TBD

New Jail Plan:

Public/Private Partnership
Organize group to define a Request for Proposals (RFP) to have competing Public-Private-Partnership (P3)
respondents.
Define facility requirements
Establish requirements and stakeholders
Lease purchase agreement- $200m initial purchase with 20 year payoff
Criminal Justice Complex
Direct supervision
Mental health staff and substance abuse counselors
Initial inmate classification (reduce liability of inmate issues and altercations)
Automated and updated technology and processes
Risk management- reduced liability
Re-allocation of Excess Funds
$16.2m in excess spending (waste)
Establishes long term revenue stream
Saves taxpayers from increased taxes
No additional bonds or debt
Current Property Re-sale
Current jail and land in prime location for re-development in downtown OKC
New location removes unsavory property from a sprawling downtown landscape
Makes downtown Oklahoma City more attractive
One time funds from sale of property to create a "Revenue Stabilization Fund" to protect revenue stream in down
budget years

A new way forward for Oklahoma County

Oklahoma County is at a critical crossroad. For 20 years we have lived with a broken
county jail that has consistently failed our residents. Each day brings a new story of abused
inmates, threats of federal intervention, and million dollar judgements against the county. It is
clear the problems facing our jail are substantial and can no longer be ignored.
Without a doubt a great deal of our jails problems are due to mismanagement by our
current sheriff. However, it is also true that our jail has structural and design flaws that call into
question its continued viability as a detention center.
We are now in a position to choose a new direction for our county. A direction based on
common sense, modern technology, and policies that work for the best interest of justice.
Rather than continuing with a jail that is a constant source of lawsuits and human rights
violations, we can move forward with a new detention center focused on the efficient
administration of justice while preserving the constitutional rights of its inmates.
What follows is a brief summary of my vision for the future of Oklahoma Countys jail.
This plan will create a 21st century jail that utilizes modern technology for increased efficiency
that follows policies that are the best-practices in the industry. This plan does NOT call for a
sales tax to bond for new construction, (which voters are typically hostile towards.) Instead, as
will be detailed further below, this plan calls for the development of a modern detention facility
whose construction will be paid for by a public-private partnership in the form of a
lease-purchase agreement.
Two Jurisdictions Examined
The research conducted in developing this jail plan included examining several other
jurisdictions to determine how they have dealt with similar issues. Among the jails studied
include two examples that demonstrate alternative approaches to reform. The first jail, located in
Collin County, Texas, demonstrates how a well designed detention center is successfully
created and operated. The second jail, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, serves as a
cautionary tale for the dangers of adopting a plan that isnt well thought out.
The Collin County Experience.
Collin County Texas has experienced explosive growth in recent years. It has a
population of nearly 925,000 people and 886 sq. miles of total land overall. Approximately
80,000 Collin County residents live in the 500 sq. miles of its unincorporated area.
To service this population, Collin County has a nimble and efficient Sheriff's department.
According to the Collin County FY2016 Adopted Budget Book, their Sheriffs Office has roughly
80 total deputies (including leadership), 18 reserve deputies (who receive equivalent full time
LEO training,) and 208 detention officers for their 1,152-bed detention facility.
Collin Countys 208 detention officers oversaw around 17,500 inmate files in 2015. 35%
of those inmates were fully processed and classified within the first 2 hours of being received.

Thus, their department was able to effectively manage their inmate population even though they
had a relative small officer-to-inmate ratio.
Collin County's facility is designed as a direct supervision jail. With direct supervision,
inmates are in direct view of a detention officer 24 hours a day. This level of supervision
reinforces the psychological impression that the facility is under the control of the sheriff's
department which helps reduce detainee misconduct. Conversely, indirect supervision facilities,
like Oklahoma Countys. tend to facilitate misconduct by gradually creating an atmosphere that
the detainees own the facility.
One of the primary reasons this direct supervision jail is so efficient is that their Sheriffs
department has fully embraced automation technology in their inmate processing procedure. In
fact, this county is automated to such a degree that all tangential aspects of an inmates file are
electronically vertically integrated. All forms are seamlessly transferred between the courts, the
District Attorneys office, the clerk's office, the jail, etc.
Beyond just being more efficient, this system is also more effective. It helps mitigate the
risk of inmates getting lost in the system. It prevents medical issues from being ignored. It
insures court orders are followed in a timely fashion. The improvements related to automated
electronic processing dont just save money, they improve overall performance.
But Collin Countys Sheriffs departments has other notable features as well. For
example, they have an unusual focus on the mental health issues that affect the population they
serve. They always have an on-call deputy specializing in mental health and transfer support.
This ensures the that the facility always has someone available to deal with mental health
issues that will predictably occur in any jail.
All-in-all, the criminal justice center in Collin County serves as a notable example of what
a detention center can be. Its efficient, effective, and protects against inmate abuse and
neglect. Its often remarked that, whether as a law enforcement officer or an inmate, Collin
Countys criminal justice center is one of the best.
The New Orleans Experience.
The next example illustrates what happens when jail reform is carried out by only giving
the illusion of change without addressing the fundamental underlying issues affecting the jail.
Orleans Parish encompasses New Orleans, Louisiana, and has no unincorporated area. Their
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recently-finished $150 million jail houses around 1,500 people . Orleans Parish is notorious for
violence and contraband in their Orleans Parish Prison. After transitioning to a new jail the
abysmal rates of abuse, neglect and poor mental health focus has not improved.
The United States Department of Justice has identified 173 different issues with the
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Orleans Parish Prison . Federal Judge Africk has already mandated court ordered reforms
Andy Grimm, Sheriff Marlin Gusman shows off new jail as he asks voters to support taxes to run it, Times-Picayune, April 9,
2015, http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2015/04/orleans_parish_prison_millage.html
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Jim Mustian, New Orleans jail hearing: Expert offers shocking testimony on incredibly frequent violence at troubled facility, The
Advocate. June 6, 2016 http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_dda482e0-ba51-5006-b36e-dc50369bf375.html
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under the control of an independent official who only reports to the federal judge as an attempt
to stave off federal takeover of the new facility. The court had significant concerns with lack of
medical treatment, ignoring medical treatment regimens, lack of supervision over inmates with
self-harm and suicide attempts, and the more than of 270 incidents of inmate-on-inmate
assaults.
Sheriff Gusman of Orleans Parish has repeatedly said that a new jail will bring him into
constitutional compliance. However, monitors working with the courts and trying to bring
resolution responded with the old adage: the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Studying the failure of a brand new jail, even when the sheriff oversees the construction,
offers an example of what happens if you just change the window dressing and ignore the
management issue involved in a poorly functioning detention center. Orleans Parish is an
example of what will happen to Oklahoma County if there is no change in management and
ideology philosophy of the Sheriff that supervises the facility. Correcting the physical design
problems of the current jail is moot point if its administrators fail to prioritize their resources and
modernize their process. A new facility is not enough to prevent a federal takeover of our jail if
the management issues are not also addressed.
The summary, the study of other jurisdictions has revealed four important principles to organize
the planning of a future Oklahoma County detention center:
1. Technology. Law Enforcement must utilize modern technology to be efficient and
effective. Oklahoma County is far behind in the utilization of modern automated
electronic processing and modernizing of those processes must be a priority.
2. Utilization of Deputies. The crime stats and manpower data available from other
jurisdictions demonstrates the fundamental importance of organizing a Sheriffs
departments personnel around the core functions of the office. A comparison
with other counties reveals that Oklahoma County is wasting critical resources
due to poorly thought out decisions surrounding where to allocate and how to
utilize its personnel.
3. Mental Health. A serious focus on people with mental health and substance
abuse problems must be a priority for any future detention center. Its is
predictable that the facility will be called upon to deal with these issues, and any
future criminal justice complex should incorporate those concerns from the
earliest stages of its design.
4. Design. Modern detention practice indicates direct supervision jails are better
than indirect supervision jails at supervising inmate populations. Oklahoma
Countys indirect supervision jails outdated design enables inmate misconduct
that results in liability to the county.
My Proposal: A New Way Forward
1. Existing Jail
The existing Oklahoma County jail has significant structural and design issues. It
was created as an indirect supervision jail which is an outdated design that inhibits

effective supervision of the inmates. Further, several notorious structural issues have
arisen over time making it obvious that simply refurbishing our current jail is not a
realistic option.
As per the above, a new detention center will need to be constructed and the
current jail will need to be liquidated. Repurposing the jail for commercial lease or sale is
one avenue to be explored, but the costs could be extraordinary.
The easiest repurposing of the existing jail would be to convert it to use for data
retention or server farm services. The crawl spaces and secure building design may be
attractive to these firms. But due to the floor plan, the mechanical crawl space height,
utility issues, and shell redesign necessary to be commercially acceptable, it is unlikely
to be cost effective to repurpose the current jail for lease or sale.
The best way forward is to liquidate the current jail for demolition with the land to
be redeveloped for commercial uses. Our preliminary estimate suggest that the
proceeds for the sale will garner significant income to offset the cost of new facilities
construction.
2. New Criminal Justice Complex
A new criminal justice complex must be constructed. It must be designed to
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facilitate direct supervision of inmates This will prevent inmate misconduct and help
ensure inmate safety, which ultimately reduces liability to the county.
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Additionally, mentally ill inmates are approximately 64% of a jail population , and
more than 40% of mentally ill individuals will pass through a jail facility at some point in
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their life . Close to 70% of inmates struggle with addiction . Accordingly, the new facility
must be designed to encourage the efficient and effective handling of those with mental
health issues. It must facilitate diversion to help treat the underlying mental health and
substance abuse problems that are often the root-causes of those that are committing
crime. It will need to have properly trained staff alway on duty to assist with mental
health issues and transportation of the mentally ill.
A new facility must have modern 21st century technology and approaches
integrated into the complex. There is no excuse for losing inmates or for inmates
medical issues to be ignored. Electronic file tracking is a modern de facto standard.
Stakeholders in the criminal justice system must have dashboard metrics and the ability
to audit any aspect of the jail. Seamless technology flow through to the courts and clerks
office will allow an order of magnitude faster inmate intake.

Richard Wener. Polytechnic University. Effective of Direct Supervision of Correctional Design and Management. A Review of
Literature. American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology. 2006
4
Doris J. James and Lauren E. Glaze, Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates, U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of
Justice Statistics, September 2006, p. 1,
5
NAMI Public Policy Research Institute document, Spending Money in all the Wrong Places: Jails & Prisons, also available from
Review of Studies.
http://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/publications/Findings%20Summary%20-%20Issues%20Facing%20County%20Jails%20(A
pr%202012).pdf
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Christopher J Mumola & Jennifer C Karberg,Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners,2004 U.S. Department of
Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, October 2006
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Since we can also track detention officer and deputy work, a proper technological
solution will allow us to immediately know if any necessary function is not being
performed. This will be especially critical for dealing with self-harm and suicidal inmates.
This will further reduce the extreme liability our county and our abused taxpayers have
faced in recent years..
Ultimately, I do not foresee the need for a giant sprawling complex. I propose a
moderate sized direct supervision criminal justice complex capable of housing around
1,500 inmates, with facilities for mental health, general health, and substance abuse
located on site. The location of the site will be outside of downtown.

3. Funding the Criminal Justice Complex

Construction of the new Criminal Justice Complex will not need to be funded by a
bonded tax increase. Instead, construction can be accomplished by entering into a
public-private-partnership for the facility to be built for us and leased back to use under a
lease-purchase agreement.
We have analysed Oklahoma County Sheriff Departments current budget and
contrasted that with similar Sheriff departments found in other states. Our analysis suggests
approximately $16 million per year can be saved by reorganization of the department around its
core responsibilities and by a reduction in waste. These improvements, including the increases
in efficiencies created by utilizing up-to-date technology, will yield more than enough savings to
account for the lease payments due for constructing a new facility. The estimate of the cost of
the new construction is around $200 Million, with a lease purchase plan payoff period of 20
years.
Finally, as indicated earlier, the funds from the sale of the current jail will be deposited in
a revenue stabilization fund. This fund will act as a rainy day fund to ensure funds are
available to make lease payments even in a down budget year. This will protect our countys
budget by ensuring the timely payoff of the facility.
Conclusion
Oklahoma County can do better, and its citizens deserve better. The endless deaths,
lawsuits and mismanagement surrounding our county jail should no longer be tolerated. With
new leadership we can move forward with a modern detention facility that incorporates
best-practices to ensure an end to the abusive system we currently have in place. A new
complex and new leadership are needed to turn Oklahoma Countys jail around and make it an
example of how a detention facility can be managed right.
/s/
Mike Christian
Candidate for Oklahoma County Sheriff