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Commission approves two provisional juvenile-competency evaluators amid rising referrals
Summary
The commission provisionally approved two psychologists to conduct juvenile competency evaluations and discussed increasing statewide capacity as referrals rise.
The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth provisionally approved two candidates to serve as juvenile competency evaluators after a staff presentation on the program’s statutory and administrative requirements.
Brandon Ward summarized the juvenile competency statutes and administrative rules, the role of credentialed evaluators, and data trends for competency referrals since the program began in 2016. He told commissioners that referrals for juvenile competency testing have increased and that limited forensic psychologist capacity has made it difficult to meet statutory timelines.
Ward presented a Juvenile Competency Evaluation Professional Committee composed of psychologists, judges, prosecutors, defense counsel and special-education professionals; the committee will help set training and credentialing standards. Two Oklahoma City-area psychologists who completed the March 28 training were presented as provisional candidates. Under the administrative process, provisional candidates receive one supervised assignment; the commission will consider final approval after the provisional period.
A motion to approve the two provisional candidates passed on a roll-call vote. The commissioners recorded yes votes from Director Frunt; District Attorney Hicks; Commissioner Larson; Commissioner Michaels Johnson; Commissioner Schneider; Commissioner Tagbano; Judge Warren; and Commissioner Whip. The motion passed.
Staff emphasized challenges the program faces: rising numbers of competency orders, a limited number of providers statewide, difficulty meeting 30-day evaluation timelines in some cases, and the need to expand training and forensic capacity to meet demand. The commission directed staff to continue recruitment and training efforts and to bring back a status update at a future meeting.
