Tulsa District Attorney Calls On Lawmakers To Better Fund Mental Health Services

The Tulsa County District Attorney is urging lawmakers to better fund mental health services, in part to prevent mental issues from advancing to criminal justice problems for the individual.

Steve Kunzweiler, and his wife, Dr. Christine Kunzweiler, spoke to the Tulsa Republican Women’s Club Tuesday, as part of an effort to encourage change in mental health services.

The DA was stabbed by one of his daughters last September, during a mental health crisis that Kunzweiler attributes to trauma that started domestic abuse, but which wasn’t effectively treated.

Kunzweiler believes the Oklahoma State Legislature should prioritize funding for public mental health services, particularly so people with mental issues aren’t waiting in jail for the few slots available in state facilities.

“I blame the people who are in charge of the purse strings,” said Kunzweiler, who questioned subsidies for museums and business projects, while mental health spending dwindled.

“What is it costing us to not move to a better mental health system and criminal justice system for these people?” Christina Kunzweiler asked the group.

They have support from Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, who questioned why the state hasn’t directed savings from criminal justice reform efforts back to mental health.

Regalado claims that the jail is the largest mental health facility in Northeast Oklahoma, as other state facilities have downsized or closed over the years.

“Warehousing in the county jail because there's a waiting list to get into a facility is not acceptable,” said Kunzweiler.

Shortly after the stabbing that encouraged his advocacy for mental health, Kunzweiler held a news conference to call on lawmakers to take up the issue.

Since then, he said only three have spoken to him about it, so he encouraged the audience before him Tuesday to demand more action.

Related Story: Tulsa County DA's Daughter Booked Into Jail Following Stabbing