OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — On Thursday afternoon, the Oklahoma County Prison Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) met on the new MAPS 3 Conference Middle to think about hiring a brand new jail consulting agency.
CJAC has all the time been an concept group and was the physique that developed the concept of a Jail Belief and a separate administrator for the jail aside from the Oklahoma County Sheriff.
The group voted to rent the FSB (Frankfurt Brief Bruza) architectural and engineering agency to research choices for enhancing the bodily facility that’s the Oklahoma County Detention Middle (Jail).
FSB has been concerned in consulting, engineering, structure, inside design, and different elements of designing or redesigning areas, many within the OKC metro. The newest instance has been their involvement within the large transforming of the Oklahoma State Capitol inside. They introduced the constructing as much as fashionable requirements whereas recapturing the unique take care of a few years and layers of smaller redesigns.
CJAC additionally set a timeline for neighborhood engagement and analysis of choices.
Authorities in response to columnist Marty Peercy
Facility Guide
A subcommittee of CJAC has been established to analysis and make suggestions to the bigger physique concerning the bodily state of the persistently problematic Jail constructing.
Whereas it has been broadly reported and acknowledged that the Jail suffers from design flaws and repeatedly mounting issues with points like mildew, plumbing, and bedbugs, CJAC has lately been analyzing the probabilities for remediation of the constructing.
Some on the subcommittee wish to see a brand new annex constructed for the Jail. That annex would seemingly include a a lot bigger and extra humane reserving and arrival space.
The brand new facility, in concept, would additionally home the medical unit on the primary flooring so that individuals may obtain care upon consumption on the Jail. The present tower, on this proposal, could be reserved for detainees categorized as “excessive safety.”
Others have instructed a prime to backside rehabilitation of the present construction as an alternative of constructing one thing new, particularly as amelioration efforts on the constructing can be needed even when a brand new annex is constructed.
Nonetheless others have known as for the present Jail to be demolished and changed with a safer and extra humane facility.
Choice Committee
Ultimately month’s CJAC assembly, a Request for Proposals was agreed upon for searching for a consulting agency to evaluate the choices for these concepts. A range committee was fashioned and went over every proposal submitted, then unanimously selected one agency to ship on to the amenities subcommittee. Each committees voted unanimously to pick the corporate
CJAC heard from a number of members of the choice committee throughout Thursday’s assembly.
CJAC members Sue Ann Arnall, Dan Straughan, Carrie Slatton-Hodges, and Larry Stevens have been joined by a ReMerge consumer in addressing the choice committee’s selection of advisor.
All reported that the agency FSB was probably the most holistic of their proffered method to analyzing a detention facility. The agency, in response to members of the committee, appeared to have a concentrate on psychological well being entry for detainees and for applicable pay and staffing ranges for Jail staff.
FSB has a great deal of native expertise, in response to Timothy Tardibono, Govt Director of CJAC.
Timeline
The turnaround on the RFP and bid choice course of went very quick, in response to Straughan, Govt Director of the Homeless Alliance. In actual fact, the RFP was launched the very subsequent day after CJAC voted to approve issuing the request.
The timeline for the evaluation can be somewhat quick for a mission of this scope. Within the coming few weeks, FSB will full an preliminary facility evaluation. After that, they’ll conduct some neighborhood conferences to search out out what stakeholders take into consideration the way forward for the jail.
These conferences will forged a broad internet to aim to make sure an array of insights and opinions on the matter.
Coinciding with that effort, FSB will develop “programming choices” earlier than presenting a draft presentation to the subcommittee and the bigger CJAC physique.
For ten weeks following the primary neighborhood assembly, FSB will work to refine their instructed programming choices and to outline funding suggestions for the potential mission.
In October and November, the consultants will make ultimate suggestions to CJAC and the neighborhood at giant.
After that, the suggestions can be offered to the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners and the Oklahoma County Funds Board for ultimate concerns and potential adoption of suggestions.
Arnall was cautious to level out that FSB shouldn’t be being directed by the subcommittee to emphasise or want any of the proposed choices.
Whereas some members lean closely towards constructing a brand new annex, some members of CJAC wish to rehabilitate the present Jail constructing, whereas nonetheless others endorse destroying the present jail and rebuilding a brand new and higher facility.
CJAC is not going to meet once more in July. The subsequent assembly of the physique will happen on August 19, at 3:00 p.m. The assembly is anticipated to be held in particular person, however the location has not but been settled.
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Final Up to date June 17, 2023, 10:01 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
The publish County prison justice group hires FSB agency to develop jail options appeared first on Oklahoma Metropolis Free Press.
