For Immediate Release --- August 18th, 2023 

Contact: Commissioner Carrie Blumert (405) 713-1501

Oklahoma County – Oklahoma County Commissioner Carrie Blumert has been appointed to a leadership position by the National Association of Counties (NACo) on their Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. Blumert, will now serve as the Chair of the Courts and Corrections sub-committee.

In announcing the appointment, NACo President Mary Jo McGuire said that Blumert was chosen, “because my goal is to build a talented and committed leadership team for NACo.”  

Asked about her new role, Commissioner Blumert stated that she has fought hard for years to steer a larger national conversation around the number of people who are incarcerated, especially, in county jails across the country and is excited for the new appointment.  “I want us to look for ways to further reform our court and corrections system through legislative solutions at the local, state, and federal level. The 1.2 million people incarcerated in the United States deserve a more humane, compassionate, and efficient justice system.” said the Commissioner. 

Blumert noted her continued interest in seeing the expansion of specialty courts, such as drug court, mental health court, and veteran’s court.  “These courts have proven time and again to be a successful alternative to prison time while still ensuring public safety.” She continued, “Not only are they less expensive, but specialty courts provide mental health and addiction treatment, job training, parenting skills, and educational opportunities that result in changed lives for the participant and their families.”

In addition to specialty courts, Blumert mentioned her committee would look at issues such as cash bail reform, the expanded use of cite and release, and removing the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion rule that precludes jails from billing Medicaid for detainees while in custody. 

NACo serves over 40,000 elected officials and 3 million county employees from across the country.  Their mission is to advocate county priorities at the federal level, develop and promote county programs, and educate the public about the role of county government. 

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