The Oklahoma County Detention Center has gained notoriety for being one of the deadliest jails in the country because of numerous in-custody deaths that have occurred inside the facility. Jail officials hope a new rolling average of detainee deaths will improve public opinion about its safety.
In a 365-day period beginning on July 4, 2025, two detainees died while locked up, according to jail administrator Tim Kimrey. That's among the lowest total numbers of deaths in a yearlong stretch since the Criminal Justice Authority took over the jail's operation in 2020.
Kimrey said there has not been a yearlong period during which no one has died in the jail, and the two deaths amount to one of the "best rolling 365-day periods since 1999."
"That's the biggest thing we've had happen at the jail in five years," he said during a jail trust meeting Monday, July 13.
Deaths are calculated by year and fiscal year, in addition to on a rolling basis, said jail spokesperson Mark Opgrande. But looking at 365-day periods can offer a "snapshot" of what's going inside the jail, he said. He compared the recent rolling period to another ending in 2021 in which 21 people died.
In total, 61 people have died while in custody since control of the jail shifted from the county sheriff to the trust less than six years ago. Three of those deaths occurred this year, as recently as July 7. Dancing Feathers Whitecrow, 33, of Oklahoma City, was found "unresponsive" at the jail and pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. Her death is under investigation.
Opgrande said the statistical decrease in deaths can be partially attributed to improved security measures that prevent narcotics from getting inside the jail. He said detention officers conduct random contraband searches every day and detainees are thoroughly searched before being booked to stop life-threatening substances, like fentanyl, from being smuggled inside.
"I'm telling you, it is not an easy task," Kimrey said about keeping detainees alive.
He said jail staff and leadership should be commended for the significant numerical decrease in deaths over a yearlong period.
"We know it's going to happen, but we are going to do our very best to keep it at the very very minimum that we can," he said. "...I want to really really thank the men and women over there, the directors, everybody who has had anything to do with that jail."
Meanwhile, the jail trust is considering a $1.75 million settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit over a detainee rape and attack in 2022.
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