A consultant’s report shows the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is falling further behind on court-ordered reforms, with a 58% surge in people waiting for mandated treatment in county jails over the last two months.
As of Jan. 13, there were 218 people stranded in county jails awaiting mental health treatment, up from 138 in November 2025, according to independent consultants hired to monitor the agency’s implementation of a consent decree. The lawsuit filed in 2023 accused the Department of Mental Health of violating civil rights of people in the criminal justice system with severe mental illness who sometimes wait months for treatment. Defendants found incompetent to stand trial must receive mental health treatment before their cases can proceed.
Missed Deadlines and Escalating Fines
The consultants identified multiple failures to meet consent decree requirements. The department was supposed to submit a plan to speed up wait times and improve the competency restoration system in June, but consultants said it “neither exists nor has it been implemented.” Two pilot programs to treat people at jails instead of waiting for beds at the state mental hospital in Vinita were also due in June but have not been developed. The Tulsa County jail pod originally designated for the pilot program is no longer available due to the need to hold ICE detainees, the department reported. Since November, the department has faced fines exceeding $3.1 million for failing to reduce wait times and make other improvements. The consent decree required wait times be reduced to 45 days by Jan. 10, but as of Jan. 13, the median wait time was 77 days.
Leadership Changes and Budget Pressures
The Department of Mental Health has faced significant turmoil over the past year. The agency ran out of money to pay its 2,000 state employees in May and required an emergency legislative infusion. State lawmakers fired former Commissioner Allie Friesen, and Interim Commissioner Greg Slavonic has led the department since June. Consultants acknowledged some improvement under Slavonic’s leadership but said the department is still not meeting “best efforts” standards. The Oklahoma Forensic Center is adding a new wing with 80 beds, and the department extended more than 25 job offers following an October job fair seeking 100 hires.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kosu.org/health/2026-01-26/despite-court-orders-to-improve-report-shows-growing-waitlist-for-mental-health-treatment-in-jail