Measure creating minimum standards for county jails clears Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY — Senators on Monday passed legislation that they said will clearly outline the minimum standards for which all county jails should operate.

Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, said Senate Bill 595, which creates the Oklahoma Jail Standards Act, was developed as part of an agreement between the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association and the state Department of Health.

The over-40-page bill requires that detention facilities operated by counties, cities and towns be inspected at least once a year to ensure compliance and requires those facilities to have staff available to perform sensitive functions during the inspections. It also requires that the state’s commissioner of health set rules to implement the provisions.

Under the measure, detention facilities can require a temporary emergency waiver after natural or man-made disasters if an inspection would cause an undue hardship, but any entity must include justification of why they qualify and a plan for caring for impacted inmates.

It also requires the Health Department to review plans for new detention facilities or substantial remodels.

Weaver said the bill gives the state’s 77 counties “some level of standards” within their jails.

The measure cleared the Senate 46-0. The measure heads to the House for consideration.