A new progress report shows the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services remains far from meeting the terms of a federal consent decree aimed at fixing the state’s broken competency restoration system. The agreement, part of the Briggs v. Friesen lawsuit settlement, requires timely treatment for pretrial defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial, many of whom have languished in county jails for more than a year.
Consultants monitoring the settlement credited interim Commissioner Gregory Slavonic with improving leadership and culture at the agency since taking over in June, but they said the department has still failed to meet “best efforts” requirements in several key areas. Persistent data problems, including uncertainty about how many defendants remain in jail awaiting transfer, cast doubt on the accuracy of ODMHSAS’s reporting.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond called the findings “alarming,” saying that while progress has been made since lawmakers ousted former commissioner Allie Freisen, the agency must make significant investments to comply with the court order. The consultants described the lack of effort in some areas as “material violations” but noted improvements in compliance, information sharing, and conditions at the Oklahoma Forensic Center.
