Tulsa County Jail Struggles With Mentally Ill Patients

A scary moment at the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center highlights an ongoing problem in the state, lack of help for the mentally ill.

Friday morning, an inmate had to be tased six times after trying to remove stitches from his head with a pencil.

Why is the jail becoming one of the state's largest mental health facilities? It all comes down to money.

Both the state and federal governments have been cutting funds to help the mentally ill, and usually that means they commit crimes and end up at the jail, officials at the jail told News On 6.

The David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center holds more than 1,300 inmates. On any given day, close to 200 of them receive treatment for being mentally ill.

Friday morning, one of those inmates had to be restrained while trying to hurt himself with a pencil, authorities at the jail said.

The case is shining a spotlight on what jail officials say is a growing problem: the jail has become northeastern Oklahoma's largest mental health facility.

"The people with mental health issues should not be receiving mental health treatment within a jail," Chief Rick Weigel of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said. "In my opinion, that mental health treatment should come someplace other than the jail."

Weigel says counselors are provided to help treat the inmates.

But mental health advocates said the problem stems from the current way the mentally ill are looked on in Oklahoma.

"Deplorable, absolutely deplorable," said Ellen Harris of the National Association for the Mentally Ill.

Harris' son was diagnosed with a mental illness. She says there simply aren't enough crisis beds to help patients.

"So even if a law enforcement officer picks up someone and wants to bring them in for a mental health evaluation, sometimes there's no beds available," Harris said.

Both Chief Weigel and Harris say there are a number of things that can help solve this problem. One of those things is more crisis beds, which means more money from the state and federal government.

Harris would like to see more temporary housing for the mentally ill, as well as more training for law enforcement to help recognize the disease. She says law enforcement in Tulsa does a very good job helping the mentally ill, but she simply wants those who are sick to go to the right place and not behind bars.

"If you had a heart attack would we put you in jail? Of course not," Harris said. "Even if you committed a crime in the process of a heart attack, they would take you to the hospital first."

The inmate who tried to hurt himself this morning is said to be doing fine, and no guards were injured during the incident.