On Thursday, July 11, 2024, 2 News Oklahoma reported that the Chief Judge of the Juvenile Division in Tulsa, Oklahoma requested to no longer oversee the director of the Family Center for Juvenile Justice (FCJJ).
According to the article, Chief Judge Kevin Gray has held his position since early 2023 but issues with the FCJJ date back to July 2020. Numerous complaints were filed against the center, including only allowing juvenile inmates two hours outside their rooms per day when the minimum requirement is 12 hours. Other complaints involved lack of sufficient staff, unresolved grievances by juveniles, and unusable conditions in the entire Unit C wing due to peeling and bubbling walls.
As a result, the FCJJ was placed on probation by the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) in May 2023. However, the probation was unexpectedly lifted in January 2024 without clarification on if all the problems had been addressed. Further, in May 2024 civil and criminal lawsuits alleged incidents of child rape, trafficking, and abuse at the center.
The article states that on July 8th the Tulsa Board of County Commissioners learned the OJA conducted interviews with Judge Gray and others regarding misconduct and violations at the FCJJ. The OJA also made announced and unannounced visits to the facility. Based on the findings, the OJA again placed the FCJJ on probation for failing to meet its standards, policies, and regulations. However, the board claims it did not participate in or know about the interviews and visits.
In light of this, Judge Gray now seeks to no longer oversee the FCJJ director. As the chief judge oversees additional juvenile court responsibilities, the Board of County Commissioners plans to request Judge Dawn Moody replace Gray as the judge of the Juvenile Division at a special meeting.
Source: 2 News Oklahoma
