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From the headlines
- A law recently signed by President Joe Biden will devote $15 million to studying how the IRS could allow Americans to file their taxes for free. Taxpayers spend billions of dollars each year on tax filing services, compared to many other countries that already have a free filing option.
- From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas: Several kids awaiting trial have been held in Tarrant County’s overcrowded juvenile detention center for hundreds of days, according to an audit obtained by the newspaper. About three dozen 17-year-olds were placed in the general population of the county’s adult jail, breaking a state regulation against detaining kids in adult facilities.
- Oklahoma’s abortion ban has forced clergy members, librarians and others to consider their own legal liability when discussing the topic. A state law from 1910 triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade created a felony offense for anyone who advises or assists someone in obtaining an abortion.
New from BigIfTrue.org
Oklahoma’s jails and prisons incarcerate people with mental illnesses at disproportionately high rates. Law enforcement officials, health care providers and advocates say increased access to mental health care and substance use treatment could help keep more people out of jail.
As luck would have it, in 2016, state voters approved a ballot initiative that would dedicate funds toward those services and others geared to reduce incarceration. But it’s not altogether good luck. The state legislature has never funded the measure, frustrating criminal justice reform advocates and jail operators alike.
More in our latest story:
- Hunter Hines, who has been diagnosed with several mental health conditions, is currently serving time for assault and battery on a police officer for charges related to a 2020 traffic stop that ended in a police chase. Hines received the charge because he had backed into a police car, and while its bumper was damaged, no police were actually injured. Hines’ mother said he attempted to escape officers because he is terrified of police.
- Getting mental health medication in jails and prisons can be challenging. Family members of incarcerated people told me they didn’t consistently receive their medications in multiple Oklahoma jails and prisons – sometimes missing doses for weeks at a time.
- The Oklahoma County jail’s four state inspections since 2021 have included violations related to providing medications. One inspection said staff gave a medication to the wrong inmate for weeks.
This story was part of a collaboration with Tulsa news organization Verified News Network, and it was funded by the Oklahoma Media Center with support from the Native American Journalists Association.
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Thank you for reading Hard Reset. You can reach me here at bryant@bigiftrue.org and 405-990-0988.
– Mollie Bryant
Founder and editor, BigIfTrue.org
