OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Within the first assembly of the Oklahoma County Prison Justice Authority (Jail Belief) for the reason that resignation of Belief Chair Tricia Everest, the Belief elected a brand new Chair and Vice-Chair Monday.
The Belief additionally debated and finally handed a brand new decision to permit them to carry prison prices towards individuals “disturbing” the proceedings.
Joe Allbaugh, former director of the Oklahoma Division of Corrections, was current and in individual for the assembly on Monday. Some Trustees proceed to attend the assembly just about, however Allbaugh was joined by Trustees Sheriff Johnson, Sue An Arnall, Francie Ekwerekwu, and Commissioner Kevin Calvey.
Authorities in keeping with columnist Marty Peercy
Chilling Speech
A decision requested by Trustee Senator Ben Brown was thought-about by the Trustees. The decision, as defined by Brown, would set necessities on decorum throughout their conferences by limiting the quantity of public feedback and the instances throughout which a member of the general public might tackle the Belief.
The decision additionally consists of language declaring that within the face of disruptions, which aren’t particularly enumerated within the decision, the Chair or Vice Chair or different presiding member of the Belief would, by default, change into the Sergeant at Arms to “implement relevant legal guidelines.”
At the moment just one member of the Belief is in a regulation enforcement position within the County, that being Sheriff Tommie Johnson, III.
Whichever member performing as Sergeant at Arms would find a way and approved to “implement” the up to date Oklahoma State Regulation about interrupting conferences, in addition to the brand new guidelines of the Belief.
Based on the brand new decision, members of the general public can be given precisely three minutes one time at first of Belief conferences. Sometimes, members of the general public are in a position to communicate on any particular person merchandise on an agenda, in addition to through the time for broader public remark. This eliminates all remark besides throughout broad public remark, which is able to now come earlier than any dialogue of agenda objects by the Belief.
Trustees and different members of the general public had been offended by energetic, loud protests through the Jail Belief conferences in 2023 centered on the usage of CARES Act funds.
To study extra: Jail Belief faces loud protest over $36M Cares Act cash
Belief Disagreement
Trustee Francie Ekwerekwu, a protection legal professional, argued that the decision was pointless because it consists of language stating that the principles for remark might be modified at any time. Moreover, and extra importantly, the brand new guidelines take away a major layer of public involvement within the work of the Belief.
Williams, for his half, provided Ekwerekwu the flaccid argument that any citizen can swear a press release towards one other. He didn’t reply to the truth that this could be a member of a public belief taking up a law-enforcement position.
Sue Ann Arnall stated that, whereas she was in favor of limiting public remark, she discovered the decision to go towards the philosophical function of the Belief.
Violating these guidelines may end up in a misdemeanor cost punishable by as much as one yr in jail and a high-quality of as much as $1,000. Arnall identified that they might danger growing the inhabitants of the jail by including new crimes to their books. She stated that one of many functions of the Belief was to scale back the jail inhabitants and to pursue prison justice reforms.
Common Counsel for the Belief, John Michael Williams stated that this decision doesn’t create new legal guidelines. Arnall countered that it creates new alternatives to criminalize the general public.
Native activist, and member of the Belief’s Detention Heart Motion Committee, Adriana Legal guidelines, stated that open communication creates belief within the public eye. Actions like this, Legal guidelines, stated, leaves necessary voices out of the dialog.
Despite protestations by Legal guidelines, different activists, Arnall, and Ekwerekwu, the Belief handed the decision by a vote of 7-2, with new member Allbaugh voting in favor.
Vacant Positions
With Tricia Everest’s current resignation from the Belief, The Board of County Commissioners on Monday appointed Joe Allbaugh to take her vacant seat.
Nevertheless, Everest was the Chair of the Belief, and that requires a vote of the Trustees. At Monday’s assembly, there was an agenda to elect a brand new Chair and a brand new Vice-Chair. As of the start of the assembly, former OKC Metropolis Supervisor Jim Sofa was the Vice Chair.
In Monday’s assembly, Sofa was nominated hurriedly to be the brand new Chair of the Belief. No different Trustees had been nominated. Sofa was unanimously elected to step into the position.
The next agenda merchandise was to vote for a brand new Vice-Chair as nicely, which clearly presumed that Sofa was the pure conclusion to the dilemma of filling the vacant Chair seat.
Sen. Ben Brown was nominated. In response, Ekwerekwu nominated Trustee M.T. Berry, who refused the nomination.
Brown was elected in an 8-1 vote, with Ekwerekwu voting “Nay.”
Jail Report
Jail CEO Greg Williams gave his customary month-to-month report.
As of Monday, the inhabitants on the Jail was 1492, 108 of whom have been sentenced are awaiting switch to Division of Corrections custody.
Williams stated that within the final 7 days, the jail has examined 173 individuals for COVID-19 with zero optimistic circumstances.
Within the final 30 days, 815 individuals have been examined, leading to two optimistic circumstances.
Since taking up operations of the Jail on July 1, 2019, Williams says 9055 checks have been administered.
The Jail has vaccinated over 1,000 individuals, Williams stated, however the need and willingness to be vaccinated has been in decline lately.
The Detention Heart Motion Committee will meet once more on June 7 at 1:00 p.m. The Jail Belief will reconvene for an everyday assembly on June 21 at 1:00 p.m.
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Final Up to date Might 17, 2023, 8:13 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
The publish Jail Belief clamps down on sure kinds of speech throughout conferences appeared first on Oklahoma Metropolis Free Press.
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