Tulsa Jail Lawsuit: Denying Medications Commonplace: Ex-Officials

TULSA, OK — Two former jail officials in Tulsa filed testimonies in a former inmate's lawsuit saying a doctor regularly delayed or denied medications to incoming inmates.

Former Capt. Billy McKelvey and former Maj. Shannon Clark of the Tulsa Jail filed testimonies Friday in a civil rights lawsuit against Armor Correctional Health Services, the Tulsa World reported. The physician refused to prescribe psychotropic medications to inmates, McKelvey said.

"Instead, Armor would refer the medications to its physicians to have medications reordered," McKelvey said. "This often resulted in a delay of up to 14 days." (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Clark said Armor's standard practice was to consider an inmate's medical needs against the estimated length of time that inmate would be detained.

"Based upon my observations, if Armor concluded the consequences of denying medication would not manifest until after the arrestee was discharged from the facility, Armor would not actively seek to continue the medication," Clark said. "It was my understanding that Armor's practice saved it money because Armor was responsible for medication costs under its contract with Tulsa County."

The lawsuit says there was "deliberate indifference" to Catherine Lee Freeman's medical needs. Freeman, 39, said the Armour physician stopped prescribing her anxiety, depression and pain medications in 2014, and that afterword she began suffering seizures and was put on mechanical ventilation.

Armor said Freeman was monitored and prescribed medications for withdrawal.

"Because she informed the intake nurse that she was a daily opioid user and she was asymptomatic, Plaintiff was placed on the Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal program pursuant to Armor policy," attorneys for Armor said.

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