County Jail

[TheTravellers]

It's a jail, not a prison. Most people released have only been in the jail for a matter of hours.

You're right, my bad, still probably won't be a problem, as everybody else on here has said.

[aDark]

Surely 1/4 into the 21st century, our prisons have a better system of releasing someone other than the standard movie trope of opening a gate and letting them walk out with a bag of their belongings that they had when they got imprisoned.

Out of curiosity, what type of departure do you think happens in the 21st century? It's the state releasing a detained individual into public. There's not a welcome committee or anything.

[TheTravellers]

Out of curiosity, what type of departure do you think happens in the 21st century? It's the state releasing a detained individual into public. There's not a welcome committee or anything.

I have no idea, I've never known anybody that's been in prison or released IRL. I'd hope they'd have more of a process than "here ya go, see ya later" <clunk> as the gate closes behind them. Maybe ensuring they have someone picking them up or taking them to some kind of post-prison center to get bus passes, info on places to stay, etc. If it's just "here ya go, bye", then we're failing as a society.

[aDark]

I have no idea, I've never known anybody that's been in prison or released IRL. I'd hope they'd have more of a process than "here ya go, see ya later" <clunk> as the gate closes behind them. Maybe ensuring they have someone picking them up or taking them to some kind of post-prison center to get bus passes, info on places to stay, etc. If it's just "here ya go, bye", then we're failing as a society.

Then we are failing as a society.

Compared to the physical conditions inside the OK County jail the release process is quite good.

[TheTravellers]

Then we are failing as a society.

Compared to the physical conditions inside the OK County jail the release process is quite good.

I won't argue with the first sentence, and not just in this area, lol...

However, it seems we're conflating prisons and jails again. Can you (or someone) compare the jail (OK County, for example) release process and the prison (McAlester, for example) release process?

[jn1780]

The inmate bring released from prison had a lot of time to make arrangements and I hope there is some kind of pre-release counseling. With jails, if the individual being release is a frequent customer, there are other issues going on that we as society need to try to help with. For actual release, I'm sure there is someone available to drive them to somewhere? The jail certainly want them hanging around there.

[bombermwc]

And in lies part of the issue that I feel like is just being glossed over. If you're being released from a prison, you do have time to coordinate a pickup/etc and you've had a lot longer sentence to serve to consider what you're going to do.

In a jail situation like this, it's much more (well it's supposed to be) fast paced. They may be coming out of the drunk tank. Maybe it was a lower offence drug possession. But the point is that they do not often have the same amount of time to plan for the release. And yes, they basically are let out the front door and it becomes society's problem to deal with. Am i expecting that they will have someone with a robe standing out front to greet them? Of course not. But I think we can do better than we are right now. And frankly, the new location IS a lot closer and more walkable to a pretty dense residential area (west Del City). I do have relatives that live in that exact neighborhood and yes there are concerns. That's only a couple of blocks folks.

What's why i was thinking what we could do at the least as a society, is provide public transportation to at least get them closer to their destination so they aren't stuck near the jail. Yes, it means the city would have to put aside money to pay for that. It won't be every inmate that utilizes that either. There is a big difference in where they were before and where they will be. My office used to have a storage warehouse across the street from the jail. We would regularly find people sleeping under dock doors or around the grounds behind the building. So yes, people do get released and just "hang out". I can say that while it did concern and sometimes give the staff a little bit of a shock when they would open a garage door for airflow, we rarely had any sort of issue with the individuals. But was it ideal for them to be sleeping off their bender at our doorstep? No. And where it is now, it's walkable to facilities nearby that could help....but the inmates do not often go to those places. In the new location, those places don't exist so they aren't an option at all.

[Dob Hooligan]

Anyone have any idea how many people actually leave the jail on foot? I'm guessing the vast majority get picked up by friends or relatives.

[jn1780]

Anyone have any idea how many people actually leave the jail on foot? I'm guessing the vast majority get picked up by friends or relatives.

In downtown, I doubt its really an issue at all. If there's an issue, its a homeless one, but you don't see a bunch of homeless hanging out in front of the jail so police officers must take them somewhere if they linger. Someone who makes the occasional dumb mistake, probably has options available.

Just because someone 'thinks' it could be a potential problem, doesn't mean there actually it is. Unless there is data to back that up.

[Midtowner]

With the bus station within pretty easy walking distance, you don't see many folks lingering outside the jail. Really, no matter where you put it, if you gave detainees a bus voucher after release, they're not going to linger.

[bombermwc]

It's almost like I already said that......

and JN, i guess you didn't read my example of actual data huh?

[Rover]

And in lies part of the issue that I feel like is just being glossed over. If you're being released from a prison, you do have time to coordinate a pickup/etc and you've had a lot longer sentence to serve to consider what you're going to do.

In a jail situation like this, it's much more (well it's supposed to be) fast paced. They may be coming out of the drunk tank. Maybe it was a lower offence drug possession. But the point is that they do not often have the same amount of time to plan for the release. And yes, they basically are let out the front door and it becomes society's problem to deal with. Am i expecting that they will have someone with a robe standing out front to greet them? Of course not. But I think we can do better than we are right now. And frankly, the new location IS a lot closer and more walkable to a pretty dense residential area (west Del City). I do have relatives that live in that exact neighborhood and yes there are concerns. That's only a couple of blocks folks.

What's why i was thinking what we could do at the least as a society, is provide public transportation to at least get them closer to their destination so they aren't stuck near the jail. Yes, it means the city would have to put aside money to pay for that. It won't be every inmate that utilizes that either. There is a big difference in where they were before and where they will be. My office used to have a storage warehouse across the street from the jail. We would regularly find people sleeping under dock doors or around the grounds behind the building. So yes, people do get released and just "hang out". I can say that while it did concern and sometimes give the staff a little bit of a shock when they would open a garage door for airflow, we rarely had any sort of issue with the individuals. But was it ideal for them to be sleeping off their bender at our doorstep? No. And where it is now, it's walkable to facilities nearby that could help....but the inmates do not often go to those places. In the new location, those places don't exist so they aren't an option at all.

Except the detox center isn't actually at the county jail, is it.