Oklahoma County Mental Health Partnership Hoping For Fewer Charges, More Treatment

Two in five people in jail or prison have a history of mental health problems, according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness. A new Oklahoma County program is trying to get more people out of jail and into treatment. 

“One in five Oklahomans reports having some kind of mental illness,” said Bonnie Campo, senior director of public relations at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.  

Solutions to a revolving door of problems are often born out of questions. The mental health crisis in communities is a problem proved by the numbers.

“One in ten kids are attempting suicide,” Campo said. “Four thousand Oklahomans call nine-eight-eight each month.” 

The number 988 is the new mental health lifeline, an avenue for anyone who needs it at any time.  

“We really want to reach people where they’re at early before that escalates into any other situations,” Campo said. 

Campo’s office launched the Court Ordered Outpatient Treatment program, or CO-OP, with the Oklahoma District Attorney’s Council and the Oklahoma County Detention Center.  

“Mental health looks different for everyone,” Campo said. “So, we really try to evaluate the needs for the individual and then build a plan around them.” 

This program keeps low-level offenders with mental health needs out of jail.  

“Those charges can be dropped, and those people can get care at one of our facilities,” Campo said. 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness shows 44 percent of people held in local jails have a history of mental illness, and 63 percent do not receive treatment while in jail. 

“It could be something as small as trespassing, and they could end up in the county detention center,” Campo said. 

Campo said these programs can treat the person before the consequences become irreversible. 

“You can’t always take back things that happen," Campo said. 

It’s why Campo says solutions start with a question; to put a stop to this revolving door so people can shift their lives back into gear. 

“How can we all work together to solve that?” Campo said. “They know that it’s going to take continued work to see their problems through.”

Campo said her office also partners with local police departments to train officers on crisis intervention. This helps officers handle people with mental health needs when they respond to an incident.