Officials scramble to keep juvenile detention center open

Transcript Staff Writer

State, county and local officials are scrambling to find a new third-party service provider for operation of the Alan J. Couch Detention Center, as the present provider for the juvenile detention facility at 1650 W. Tecumseh Road is being released from its contract with the county.

"Unless another third-party provider is ready to step in by Nov. 1, there may be a period of time the facility is shut down," said Robert E. "Gene" Christian, executive director of the state Office of Juvenile Affairs. "I believe the transition will take a short period of time, and if we can keep it open, we will."

Sen. Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, said he's compiled a list of third-party providers to submit to county commissioners at their meeting Monday.

"When I was apprised of the situation at 10 a.m. Friday, I determined in my own mind that closure of the Alan J. Couch Center is, quite frankly, unacceptable," Hobson said. "Too many people contributed money to the center, the county has worked too hard in developing it and the employees by and large have helped many juveniles."

Hobson said the OJA last week sent a letter to the current service provider, Central Oklahoma Juvenile Services Inc., informing them the facility was being closed for various issues of non-compliance.

The center came under criticism for being short-staffed when four juveniles escaped from the facility Sept. 25, 2005. Three of the juveniles were recaptured shortly after their escape. One of the juveniles, 17-year-old Ricky Sanchez, was shot and killed by a Norman police officer following an alleged robbery and car chase up Interstate 35 the next morning.

Hobson said county commissioners -- who operate as trustees of the center -- and OJA officials "have been back and forth about the quality of services for several months."

Hobson met Friday with Christian, the commissioners and two Cleveland County judges, and said he consulted with Rep. Thad Balkman, R-Norman, Friday night, "to ensure we have a game plan that will have one of two results."

The center either will be closed temporarily, "while we get the place cleaned up, the staff up to certified levels and take care of the facility's physical difficulties" or county commissioners Monday can select a new third-party provider from the list of candidates he's submitting, Hobson said.

"They are the trustees of the center, they can select a new provider or recommend to the OJA their choices, and the OJA can make a selection based on their requirements," Hobson said.

Christian would not say whether the escapes had a direct bearing on the provider's contractual termination.

"We do periodic reviews (of juvenile detention facilities) and those reviews are stepped up when an incident like that happens. The county commissioners were asked to review the contract. The current provider understands the problems and the need to step aside and make sure the facility is being properly managed by another third party or otherwise," Christian said.

Hobson said the facility held 15 to 20 juveniles last week "when the OJA removed their court adjudicated children."

The facility now holds eight to 10 juveniles, he said.

In case the facility is temporarily closed, alternate plans are in place at other facilities to accommodate juveniles in need of detention, Christian said.

"There's no need for public concern. Provisions have been made for the juveniles currently in detention, or those who come into custody during the transition period.

"Our goal is to see that the transition is as short as possible, the public is continually protected and in the end, to have a properly functioning, operating detention facility in Cleveland County," Christian said.

A governor's advisory council on Latin American and Hispanic Affairs called for an investigation of the facility after the escapes and the shooting death of Sanchez. The advisory council also questioned whether Sanchez was receiving mental health care while at the Alan J. Couch Detention Center.

The four juveniles reportedly used improvised weapons, including a sharpened plunger handle and steel pole, with which they threatened the person working at the detention facility that night. According to a police summary, the youths ultimately kicked open a door and crawled through an opening in a fence they'd made days before.

"I am confident by Nov. 1 we will have one of those two outcomes -- a brief stop of services while we get up to standards, or we'll continue as we are with a new provider doing the upgrading and training of the current staff.

"The residents of Cleveland and McClain County can be assured that this will be resolved and the facility will continue to operate," Hobson said.

Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com