“We are known for our amazing NBA team. We are Oklahoma strong when tragedy strikes during tornado season. And…we are No. 2 in mental illness and 49th in funding. Ouch. That is a sad commentary for such a great state known for its big heart.”

-Cathy Costello, mental health advocate whose husband, the late Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, was killed by their son who struggled with mental illness (Source)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Gentzler worked at OK Policy from January 2016 until November 2022. He last served as the organization's Reserach Director and oversaw Open Justice Oklahoma. He began at OK Policy as an analyst focusing on criminal justice issues, including sentencing, incarceration, court fines and fees, and pretrial detention. Open Justice Oklahoma grew out of Ryan’s groundbreaking analysis of court records, which was used to inform critical policy debates. A native Nebraskan, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma and a BA in Institutions and Policy from William Jewell College. He served as an OK Policy Research Fellow in 2014-2015.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.