oklahoma jails

Prisoner advocates argue the deaths highlight a need for universal air conditioning within Oklahoma’s correctional system.

Conditions have become so dangerous at the Hughes County jail that the newly elected district attorney said it is no longer safe for detention officers or detainees and should be shut down.

Shannon Hanchett and Kathryn Milano were waiting for mental health evaluations in the Cleveland County jail when they died. Now, the sheriff and the Oklahoma company responsible for them are asking for more taxpayer money to expand jail health care.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has consistently failed to address critical staffing shortages and operational inefficiencies in its aging prison facilities. The Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency proposes several solutions.

More than four dozen Oklahoma jails were cited for health and safety violations in 2020.

With no announcement, Oklahoma jails are beginning to collect DNA from individuals arrested on felony charges – the first step in implementing a…