Coronavirus in Oklahoma: Over 200 nonviolent offenders released from Oklahoma County jail to limit COVID-19 spread

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Over 200 nonviolent, low-level offenders have been released from the Oklahoma County jail as officials attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep space open for violent offenders.

The jail’s confined spaces would be a ripe environment for the spread of the virus, said Oklahoma County Commissioner Carrie Blumert.

Lawyers with the Arnall Family Foundation and the county’s public defender’s office have increased efforts to identify individuals to safely release, particularly those who are unable to pay their bail.

“We are doing this on a case-by-case basis,” said Meagan Taylor, a lawyer with the Arnall Family Foundation.

No inmates with violent charges, including domestic violence, robbery or sex crimes, or charges related to possession of a firearm, were considered, Taylor said.

These efforts shrank the jail's population to 1,521 as of Tuesday morning, said sheriff's office spokesperson Mark Myers. He said it is the lowest in years.

Last week, all jury trials and non-emergency hearings were postponed at the county courthouse due to the pandemic, and only some judges will work in the building to deal with emergency issues.

This means processes will slow down, Taylor said, and individuals could find themselves sitting in jail for longer periods of time unless there continues to be dedicated intervention.

“I think there are a lot more individuals that we can get out,” Taylor said. “To hold someone based on the situation we’ve got going on seems cruel and unusual. There needs to be a coordinated effort so we can be doing more.”

The releases are particularly vital as the state Department of Corrections announced it would not be picking up inmates from county jails awaiting transfer to a state facility, said Chief Public Defender Bob Ravitz.

“As we work down dockets, a lot of the individuals will probably go to the Department of Corrections,” Ravitz said. “And we can’t keep going for two or three months without DOC accepting prisoners.”

Currently, about 180 inmates at the county jail are awaiting transfer to a state facility.

And as crimes like domestic violence are expected to increase as residents stay home to contain COVID-19, Taylor said open space in the jail is critical.

“We have to understand that law enforcement won’t just stop arresting people, and we don’t have endless space,” Taylor said. “So we are trying to give relief to the jail and the staff.”

All this work is happening as staffers are told to work from home as much as possible and public access to the courthouse and county offices has been limited.

Law enforcement agencies across the county have been asked to expand their use of cite-and-release policies rather than arresting nonviolent individuals and taking them to jail.

And the sheriff’s warrant team is only serving warrants to those with violent charges, Myers said.

Inside of the jail, new restrictions include the lobby being closed to the public and a 10-day isolation period for all inmates at intake.

Inmates are also receiving two free five-minute phone calls per week, and the number of triple cells — cells housing three inmates at once — have decreased by 59.

The sheriff's office will continue to monitor the situation and plan accordingly.

“People do have to come and go,” Myers said. “You do your best to protect the inmates and the employees, but people are still coming and going. So it’s at the front of all our minds.”