OKPOLICY.ORG
On March 6, 2020, Oklahoma reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 and declared a statewide emergency 10 days later. As the pandemic now enters its third year, Oklahomans continue grappling with the impact of lives lost and the immense disruptions it has created. OK Policy will be reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts and challenges. Our hope is that this will highlight opportunities for collaborative decision-making, future improvements, and prosperity for all Oklahomans.
Co-authors: Ashley Harvey, Youth Justice Policy Analyst, and Sabine Brown, Infrastructure and Access Senior Policy Analyst
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Justice-involved youth have faced a heightened risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Youthful offenders, already likely burdened with childhood trauma and the stress of separation from family, faced considerable risks living in shared facilities with other youths during a highly infectious global pandemic. This increased risk was disproportionately placed on Latinx, Black and American Indian youth who are much more likely than their white counterparts to be held in custody. These disparities are the legacy of racial and ethnic oppression and implicit bias in the criminal justice system. COVID-19 could have been a nightmare for youths in custody. Thankfully, the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) took swift action to ensure the safety of youth in their care while maintaining public safety.
OJA took steps to ensure the safety of youth in its custody.
OJA recognized the dangers that the pandemic placed on juvenile offenders and quickly took steps to mitigate the risk of infection and spread at the pandemic’s outset. Any OJA youth who were eligible for a pass, or who were outside of state facilities on a pass, were allowed to remain with family and friends. Youth waiting for placement were also allowed to stay in their community. OJA also suspended face-to-face staff visits with youth, families, and providers. To ensure that youths were able to stay in contact with family members, mentors, and agency juvenile service workers, OJA expanded video visitations thanks to a grant from Arnall Family Foundation.
Additionally, OJA called for collaboration in the legal system to further reduce the risk for justice-involved youths. Attorneys and judges were asked to evaluate all youth currently in detention centers and determine if they were appropriate for community release. The agency also asked legal participants to monitor new admits to determine if detention was absolutely necessary. Reducing the number of people in juvenile detention was key to managing the risk of spread.
These steps helped youth and had no negative impact on public safety.
Mitigating the spread of COVID-19 among justice-involved juveniles was important because of their increased risk for infection. Nationally, youth in the justice system are generally less healthy than their peers and have risk factors that could worsen the effects of COVID-19, including higher rates of asthma and more gaps in Medicaid enrollment. While there is no publicly available data on COVID-19 cases among youth in Oklahoma juvenile detention centers, data on the depopulation of prisons show us that OJA’s actions likely reduced spread within the incarcerated juvenile population, keeping more Oklahoma children safe.
The COVID-19 mitigation tactic of reducing the number of youths in detention centers did not negatively impact public safety. Juvenile arrests fell by 29.5 percent from 2019 to 2020, continuing a downward trend since 2011. Fewer arrests is indicative of less criminal behavior and also means less juvenile incarceration. This is positive for Oklahoma youth: studies show that juvenile incarceration has detrimental effects on youths and does little to enhance public safety. A growing body of research shows that incarceration of youth may actually increase the likelihood of recidivism. In addition, incarceration has many detrimental effects on youth including lower high school completion rates, higher adult incarceration dates, and increased likelihood of being classified with an emotional or behavioral disorder.
The pandemic has been especially difficult for our youth.
COVID-19 has been tough on our youth. Nationally, rates of mental health-related emergency department trips for children aged 12-17 spiked 31 percent in 2020 when compared to the previous year. In Oklahoma, a statewide survey of middle and high school students conducted during the 2019-20 school year revealed that 60 percent reported experiencing high or moderate psychological distress, and nearly 1 in 10 made at least one suicide attempt. While the Centers for Disease Control cautioned against drawing too strong of a line between increased suicide attempts and the pandemic, the agency reported that physical distancing, barriers to mental health services, substance abuse, and stress related to family health and income brought on by the pandemic were all risk factors for suicide.
Detained youth came into the pandemic at a further disadvantage in regards to mental health. National studies show that 92.5 percent of detained youth reported experiencing trauma and that two out of every three youth in custody have a diagnosable mental health condition. OJA’s mitigation strategies helped keep Oklahoma justice-involved youth safe during the pandemic. These actions prove that youth can be kept out of detention without sacrificing public safety, and this policy should be continued moving forward.
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On March 6, 2020, Oklahoma reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 and declared a statewide emergency 10 days later. As the pandemic now enters its third year, Oklahomans continue grappling with the impact of lives lost and the immense disruptions it has created. OK Policy will be reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts and challenges. Our hope is that this will highlight opportunities for collaborative decision-making, future improvements, and prosperity for all Oklahomans.
Co-authors: Ashley Harvey, Youth Justice Policy Analyst, and Sabine Brown, Infrastructure and Access Senior Policy Analyst
