New commissioner tours OK County jail, trustee believes sales tax vote is imminent
OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – After only one week on the job, newly elected Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe took a tour inside the county jail. Improving the troubled facility was one of Lowe’s campaign platforms.
"We have a lot of work to do," said Lowe shortly after he toured the jail.
He saw firsthand the conditions inside the building, reiterating the growing problems KFOR has mentioned over several months of failed health inspections, deaths, and inhumane conditions.
"This is a very important issue for me. My life's work is criminal justice reform,” said Lowe. “This is definitely priority number one."
Lowe said one of the areas that needs the most attention is inmate processing.
"Right now, individuals are not being processed as fast as I would like," said Lowe.
He also said staffing is a major concern. Lowe went on to say that there were good, hard-working people currently running the facility, but with the building shorthanded, it has been the catalyst behind many of the ongoing problems.
The Commissioner invited nearly a dozen spiritual leaders from the community to take the tour with him because he wanted to be “transparent.” The group is part of Concerned Clergy for Spiritual Renewal.
"You would not even think of having a human to have to take a shower in that condition. To see the food that is left on the table. To see blood that is on the walls,” said Rev. Dr. Lee Cooper Jr, a member of the group. "Those kinds of conditions but be addressed, and those kinds of conditions are just inhumane."
The conditions inside the building led voters to approve a $260 million jail bond in 2022. Battles over funding and where to put the new jail have increased the price. It’s now estimated to cost Oklahoma County taxpayers around $700 million.
Jail trustee, Pastor Derrick Scobey, said there was likely only one solution for taxpayers.
"They need to understand that at some point, we're going to have to put up for a vote a half-cent penny sales tax. That is the only way that we can get more money," said Scobey.