OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – A recent investigation conducted by the Department of Justice found that the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Police Department unfairly discriminate against those suffering behavioral health disabilities.
The report shows that OKCPD unnecessarily institutionalizes adults who experience mental health episodes in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
With a population of 702,767, Oklahoma City is the 20th most populated city in the United States. Nearly 30,000 Oklahomans living in the metropolitan area have serious mental health diagnoses. These may range from bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.
Many Oklahomans who live with these illnesses utilize the state’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
The report also highlights that Oklahoma City’s police department violates the ADA by discriminating against those with mental health disabilities in the emergency response system. Most police interactions that take place in Oklahoma County are with OKCPD. The department’s track record of using lethal and excessive force is far from ideal.
Between 2016 and 2021, OKCPD was responsible for 58 deaths. This fact can be especially troubling for those with intersecting identities such as mentally ill people of color.
The DOJ maintains the city and county often default to segregated facilities for the institutionalization of mentally ill individuals. These facilities are often private psychiatric hospitals such as Integris or St. Anthony’s. It is the DOJ’s recommendation that community-based approaches are more appropriate for mental health concerns. These include Red Rock Behavioral Health, NorthCare and Hope Community Services.
“Psychiatric institutionalization disrupts people’s lives,” the report says. “Long stays in institutional settings may also diminish people’s independent living skills, making it more difficult for them to return to and live successfully in the community in the long-run.”
Officials respond
Some state elected leaders have shown support for the DOJ report while others are less accepting of the investigation.
Representative Jason Lowe (D-OKC) provided a statement following the report’s release.
“The recent findings by the United States Department of Justice on our state’s treatment of those with behavioral health disabilities is quite upsetting, but not surprising,” Lowe stated. “The DOJ investigation highlighted all of the deficiencies in our state’s handling of those with behavioral health disabilities and showed how we as a state can improve our services. We must do better going forward.”
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House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson echoes Lowe’s statement. “Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, and the Oklahoma City Police Department should carefully review this report from the U.S. Department of Justice,” Munson said. “Law enforcement should be trained to properly handle situations involving people with behavioral health disabilities so we can set them up with the best opportunities for a successful future.”
Coming out in opposition to the DOJ is Gov. Kevin Stitt, who says the report is another example of overreach from the Biden administration.
“Allie Friesen and her team are working hard to reform our mental health system, but they can’t do that if they’re burdened with heavy handed, out of touch mandates from the federal government,” said Stitt. Friesen is the state’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner.
Siding with Stitt is House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert. “With merely 17 days until Donald Trump moves back into the White House, this is a last-minute attack by the Biden administration,” stated Hilbert. “Oklahomans are far better equipped to make decisions on how to improve our mental health system than are bureaucrats in Washington.”
Alternative mental health services in Oklahoma
In July 2022, a new mental health crisis hotline went live in the state. Now, those experiencing a crisis may default to calling 988 instead of 911. In theory, this is to circumvent traditional emergency services such as the police or paramedics. According to the website, fewer than 2% of calls to 988 result in connection to emergency services provided by 911.
