Cleveland County Commissioners will discuss Sheriff Chris Amason’s jail following a recent inspection that shows numerous infractions reported by the Oklahoma County Health Department.

Commissioners will discuss the jail during their regular meeting at 1 p.m. Monday at the Cleveland County Courthouse, 200 S. Jones Ave.

District 1 Commissioner and Board Chairman, Rod Cleveland, told The Transcript the discussion is important to establish accountability to the public and to auditors and insurance providers in the wake of ongoing issues at the jail.

The sheriff’s office is under an audit from the State Auditor and Inspector, at Amason’s request and as approved by commissioners following a budget dispute.

Auditors look for what’s “on the record,” in public meetings, not necessarily emails, Cleveland said.

“It’s not a ‘gotcha thing,’ it’s not to embarrass the sheriff,” Cleveland said. “If you have a good explanation, then state it and state it in public and you’re held accountable to that.”

Amason and several jail administrative staff members told The Transcript on Friday that the jail is continuously making improvements to reach the highest standards possible.

The facility is the subject of a lawsuit after the jail death of Shannon Hanchett in 2022, which accuses detention officers of missing cell site checks and medical staff of neglecting health conditions prior to her death. The medical examiner’s report found Hanchett died of heart failure.

Among improvements, the jail recently implemented RFID technology to scan and log in real time the moment a detention officer scans a cell for a site check, said John Bishop, the major who oversees detention operations. Jail staff have been working to phase out paper logs in favor of the new technology.

A January inspection report from the health department shows timed site checks are still being missed, 27 out 36 hourly site checks, but jail officials say that doesn’t account for late site checks.

“If it’s one second late, it’s a missed site check according to the jail standards,” Bishop said.

The report also indicated jail staff admit to missing site checks.

Bishop said it is impossible to conduct every scheduled site check because urgent incidents such as fights, medical events and feeding schedules disrupt them. Still, staff are emphasizing site checks as a top priority, he said.

“We are increasing our proficiency with the site check on the RFIDs,” he said.

RFID technology also means the scanned time for the cell check can’t be altered as paper logs can be, Bishop said.

In the last year, the jail has undergone other policy changes including the ongoing implementation of American Correctional Association standards, a process that can take at least three years to complete.

Amason said the jail already meets “90-plus percent of it” but his office continues to evaluate areas to improve.

To better leverage staff, Bishop said they now keep detention officers in the jail and rely on patrol and other deputies to monitor an inmate who is in the hospital for overnight stays.

Amason said he has also raised the base pay for detention officers to address low staffing levels.

“My understanding is that we are (salary) equivalent to Oklahoma County and Grady County Jail,” Amason said.

A recent policy change in effect after the January jail inspection is the use of a pod for high risk prisoners. Bishop said the pod is equipped with a camera for constant monitoring with 15 minute suicide site checks. Assessments are conducted three times a week by a mental health professional, including an in-house mental health practitioner.

Additional changes the jail has implemented in the last year also includes wearable devices to track an inmate’s physical condition and can also detect falls.

Amason said improving the jail is a never-ending, daily priority.

“We work every day to correct deficiencies and make things right,” he said. “We’re constantly working to make the jail better.”

Tags

Trending Video