Lloyd Rader assaults prompt calls for investigation

Tuesday, June 22nd 2004, 4:46 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A brawl between rival gangs at maximum-security juvenile detention facility in Sand Springs last week has prompted area lawmakers to call for an independent investigation.

Friday's fight, which injured seven residents and 10 staff members, is the latest in an increasing number of assaults at the Lloyd E. Rader Juvenile Center.

During the first six months of fiscal year 2004, juveniles at the center committed 82 assaults on staff members and other residents -- nearly double the number during the previous year.

State Sen. Nancy Riley, R-Tulsa, said she wants an investigation by the local district attorney's office or Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to determine how to best protect state workers at the facility.

"They're getting the crap beat out of them every time they turn around," Riley said. "There is a serious problem that seems to be worsening. Obviously something is going on, and we need to get to the bottom of it."

State Reps. Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, have both joined Riley in asking Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris for a formal investigation.

"We're definitely concerned about the trend we've seen at Rader," Lamons said. "These are kids who've been accused of murder and other violent crimes, and we need to ensure that they are truly in a secure environment where they are not a risk to the staff or to the general public."

In response to the increased violence at the facility, Office of Juvenile Affairs spokeswoman Rhonda Burgess said the agency is developing a behavior management unit that will focus on noncompliant, assaultive residents.

"Unfortunately, there are a handful of individuals who are disruptive, out of control, noncompliant and causing problems for the rest of the residents who are trying to effect positive changes in their lives," Burgess said. "The other 200 residents are compliant and working hard on their programs."

Burgess said a $300,000 legislative appropriation was secured for the new unit, which OJA hopes to have on line by Sept. 1.

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice notified state officials that it plans to investigate conditions of confinement at Rader. The department said its Civil Rights Division would investigate whether there have been "systemic violations of the Constitution or laws of the United States."