× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

While public scandal and controversy plagued the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office during the past year, work continued mostly unseen on an important transformation inside the Tulsa County jail.

Four new jail pods, two of them devoted to mental health, are being built on the back side of the David L. Moss Justice Center. When completed in December, the pods will allow significant changes in jail operations.

They will also add $1.7 million a year in operating revenue.

In 2014, when Tulsa County voters approved a 15-year, 0.026 percent sales tax, the package included operating revenue. Theoretically, the $1.7 million can be used only for operation of the four new pods, and a big share of that is supposed to go for mental health care and programming.

Still, there is hope the new pods and the money they bring with them will help balance the jail’s books after several years of red ink.

The concept presented to voters two years ago emphasized mental health diagnosis, intervention and treatment. A larger share of the jail inmates have mental health problems, and the idea was to get them proper care — preferably outside the jail — instead of warehousing them.