The head of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has an idea for reviewing jail and prison deaths in the state.
Director Stan Florence suggested Monday lawmakers form an independent board to look at inmate deaths. OSBI currently reviews such deaths for criminal acts when asked.
"Not everything's always criminal, you know. In our investigations, we'll certainly yield whether criminal charges are warranted or not, and the DA makes that determination," said OSBI Director Stan Florence. "But, I think sometimes these deaths are reflective of health care needs, of, perhaps, mental health needs and things of that nature."
According to a Huffington Post database, the state saw 21 jail deaths from July 2015 to July 2016, 10th most in the U.S. during that time period. OSBI is investigating some of those deaths.
"If we were tasked with investigating every jail death, that would be a real burden on us from a manpower perspective," Florence said.
According to the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics, 175 people died in Oklahoma jails from 2005 to 2014.
Several reports say Oklahoma County Jail had a spike in 2016, with nine inmates dying before mid-July.
OSBI has more than 50 vacancies right now, most under a hiring freeze.
