TULSA, OKLAHOMA (KTUL) — A local group is joining the discussion about the numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment against employees of the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice.
This came a week after the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners released a timeline detailing improvement measures.
Joe Dorman of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy tells us he thinks the county commissioners’ actions are a step in the right direction. They have recognized that there is a problem, but more needs to be done.
“They need to make sure they’re paying the best wages so we have the right staff to take care of the kids, take care of their mental health, teach the kids and make sure the education they’re getting is good enough that they can go back to school when they get out of their situation,” said Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
Another solution that could have prevented this disaster, according to Dorman, would have been a law that would have allowed easier monitoring by government control organizations.
“The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth can enter a facility, but it can only investigate those individuals who are there under the supervision of the state,” Dorman said.
Dorman says they are urging lawmakers to introduce a bill next year to give oversight to an appropriate agency that would allow it to conduct regular checks at all facilities to ensure children are being treated appropriately.
He says Representative Mark Lawson and Senator John Haste proposed such a bill in 2021: HB 2313, which would have required the Office of Juvenile System Oversight to conduct inspections of privately operated child care facilities at least once a year or as needed.
This would give OJSO access to all child and youth facilities to conduct on-site visits and speak to residents.
“I texted Representative Lawson yesterday to inform him of the bill he introduced that would have been a solution to this problem,” Dorman said.
Dorman says he has not yet spoken to Representative Lawson about this, but looks forward to meeting with any Representative who wants to get to the bottom of this issue.
“This is a bill that went through the legislative process three years ago. And I still stand by that oversight,” said Rep. Mark Lawson.
Lawson tells us he is quite willing to revisit the bill introduced in 2021 if necessary.
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