County Jail

[Midtowner]

This is a public meeting with a right to have your voice heard.

No, the public has the right to attend, according to the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act. The body does not have to have a public comment portion at all.

There are tensions because we have one of the worst jails in the nation where people are dying seemingly monthly or more and nothing is being done about it. The jail trust has completely failed and is an utter joke. This was supposed to be about true reform. They just added a former prison boss to the team. What is going to change? Oklahoma politics and it’s government just want to keep living in the 20th century.

More racism, more discrimination, more of the good ol boy mentality, and keeping the same same.

Okay. But going to the meetings to harrass Trust members isn't the way to accomplish anything.

[Plutonic Panda]

You say that but I’m not seeing harassment. Also, if the meeting allows for no public but attendance only then what a joke.

[Plutonic Panda]

It looks like the powers that he won’t even consider building a new facility which I find to be a bad choice. We need a new county jail built downtown not out in the sticks.

“ OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — On Thursday afternoon, the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) met at the new MAPS 3 Convention Center to consider hiring a new jail consulting firm.

CJAC has always been an idea group and was the body that developed the idea of a Jail Trust and a separate administrator for the jail other than the Oklahoma County Sheriff.

The group voted to hire the FSB (Frankfurt Short Bruza) architectural and engineering firm to investigate options for improving the physical facility that is the Oklahoma County Detention Center (Jail).

FSB has been involved in consulting, engineering, architecture, interior design, and other aspects of designing or redesigning spaces, many in the OKC metro. The latest example has been their involvement in the massive reworking of the Oklahoma State Capitol interior. They brought the building up to modern standards while recapturing the original look after many years and layers of smaller redesigns.”

- https://freepressokc.com/county-crim...ail-solutions/

[G.Walker]

At this point they need to secure a new location and start from scratch.

You can only patch it up for so long.

[Plutonic Panda]

https://kfor.com/news/local/oklahoma...ept-of-health/

[Midtowner]

https://kfor.com/news/local/video-su...g-inside-cell/

Here's some FB Live footage leaked yesterday showing inmates having a cookout with fresh meat and vegetables and smoking what appears to be marijuana. David Prater is now calling for the Trust to be dissolved. It was a failed experiment. County officials wanted to blame the sheriff, but it's becoming clear that using what he was given, he was doing the best job anyone could do. That building needs to come down. A new facility should be built near downtown in order to provide inmates with access to counsel and to facilitate transportation--or even better, I'd love to see the criminal courts relocated to be connected to the jail to completely eliminate transportation security concerns. There is plenty of land near downtown/south of the river or on the east side of I-35 which could be used.

I've heard rumors that they wanted to build something in Choctaw, but I think that's nonsense. The county jail should be at the county seat.

[T. Jamison]

A relative of mine was the Sherriff of an County in Oklahoma for a decade. During their time as Sherriff, the County built a new jail and they toured the Oklahoma County jail in the planning phase. When I mentioned the issues with the Oklahoma County jail, they basically told me the Oklahoma County Jail was an example of exactly how NOT to build a jail. It was built new with functional obsolescence. The older it gets, the worse it gets and there is no fixing it because it is fundamentally flawed.

They moved the county jail several miles away from the Courthouse, which required more shuttling, but improved the quality of life for the inmates.

[BoulderSooner]

https://kfor.com/news/local/video-su...g-inside-cell/

Here's some FB Live footage leaked yesterday showing inmates having a cookout with fresh meat and vegetables and smoking what appears to be marijuana. David Prater is now calling for the Trust to be dissolved. It was a failed experiment. County officials wanted to blame the sheriff, but it's becoming clear that using what he was given, he was doing the best job anyone could do. That building needs to come down. A new facility should be built near downtown in order to provide inmates with access to counsel and to facilitate transportation--or even better, I'd love to see the criminal courts relocated to be connected to the jail to completely eliminate transportation security concerns. There is plenty of land near downtown/south of the river or on the east side of I-35 which could be used.

I've heard rumors that they wanted to build something in Choctaw, but I think that's nonsense. The county jail should be at the county seat.

the closer to down town the more expensive it gets ....

there is plenty of OKC land far far from downtown .. that would be great for the county jail ...

somewhere near one of the land fills would be ideal .. (as that already depresses property values ..)

[Midtowner]

A relative of mine was the Sherriff of an County in Oklahoma for a decade. During their time as Sherriff, the County built a new jail and they toured the Oklahoma County jail in the planning phase. When I mentioned the issues with the Oklahoma County jail, they basically told me the Oklahoma County Jail was an example of exactly how NOT to build a jail. It was built new with functional obsolescence. The older it gets, the worse it gets and there is no fixing it because it is fundamentally flawed.

They moved the county jail several miles away from the Courthouse, which required more shuttling, but improved the quality of life for the inmates.

You could be talking about Cleveland County. Its location makes very little sense. It's located just barely within the City of Norman. Jails need to be centerally located because they service the entire county. Locating far from downtown now might save land acquisition costs, but those will be made up over time in transportation costs.

[Plutonic Panda]

the closer to down town the more expensive it gets ....

there is plenty of OKC land far far from downtown .. that would be great for the county jail ...

somewhere near one of the land fills would be ideal .. (as that already depresses property values ..)

Lots of services built around the jail over the years. There’s also the issue of transportation. Every major city I can think of has their jail in the downtown area and it makes the most sense. OKC doesn’t have sky high land cost and has lots of area around its downtown to develop.

[Plutonic Panda]

Lincoln County just turned down a new jail proposal.

[T. Jamison]

You could be talking about Cleveland County. Its location makes very little sense. It's located just barely within the City of Norman. Jails need to be centerally located because they service the entire county. Locating far from downtown now might save land acquisition costs, but those will be made up over time in transportation costs.

It was Creek County. Sapulpa is the county seat, but its tucked into a corner and the other towns in the county are not convenient. Next time I see them, I'll ask about the transportation costs. It wasn't terribly far from downtown though. Sapulpa isn't really that large. But the old jail was immediately south of courthouse.

I helped with a haunted house in the old county jail once after it closed and it was hard to imagine how they could run a jail in such a small facility.

[Jersey Boss]

You could be talking about Cleveland County. Its location makes very little sense. It's located just barely within the City of Norman. Jails need to be centerally located because they service the entire county. Locating far from downtown now might save land acquisition costs, but those will be made up over time in transportation costs.

I get what you are saying about centrally located. In Clevland county you also have Moore due North, but in Cleveland County. Population wise I would not be surprised if it is centrally located.

[catch22]

This building is a tragedy waiting to happen. I am sure that is not the only cell to have made their own grill. I can't imagine that facility is adequately prepared to deal with an out-of-control fire or major structural failure. It seems to be a ticking time bomb.

[Plutonic Panda]

Article from FPOKC summarizing the town hall regarding the future of the county jail facility. It’s good to see a new jail is at least being brought up:

https://freepressokc.com/pain-anger-...a-county-jail/

[Plutonic Panda]

Jesus

https://kfor.com/news/inmate-death-u...QPSkri5CpGInW8

[Canoe]

Jesus

https://kfor.com/news/inmate-death-u...QPSkri5CpGInW8

This has to be one of the worst jails in the state. Poorly designed, poorly maintained, with bed bugs, and a callous staff. The jail and the Grady jail are just bad.

[dankrutka]

That was awful to read. Someone should be held accountable.

[Plutonic Panda]

750,000 USD going to installing a finger print system for the jail. Not even a hint or talk about building a new one.

https://www.koco.com/article/oklahom...nding/37669702

[shawnw]

Even if they announced tonight that they would start building a new jail tomorrow, there would be millions spent on the old jail before they were ready to move into the new one, however unfortunate.

[Plutonic Panda]

The problem is they aren’t discussing it. I think the feds should just come in, build a new jail, and put the county on the hook since they are so incompetent. Counties seem to be the most dysfunctional part of the government sometimes.

[barrettd]

The problem is they aren’t discussing it. I think the feds should just come in, build a new jail, and put the county on the hook since they are so incompetent. Counties seem to be the most dysfunctional part of the government sometimes.

Honest question, what will prevent a new jail from becoming what the old one has become if the people in charge remain the same? Calvey seems dead set on building a new jail, but it seems it will still be wildly mismanaged if there aren't some other big changes made to administration of the jail.

[G.Walker]

The jail was built 30 years ago, when inmate population was low. But now with the population growth in OKC and surrounding areas, the inmate population has since tripled.

Moreover, they built the jail in area where there was no room for expansion.

[TheTravellers]

Honest question, what will prevent a new jail from becoming what the old one has become if the people in charge remain the same? Calvey seems dead set on building a new jail, but it seems it will still be wildly mismanaged if there aren't some other big changes made to administration of the jail.

The old jail is architecturally ridiculous, built and designed by a company that had no experience building jails. For instance - no food slots in the door so they have to be opened to feed an inmate, mental health workers have to examine inmates outside their cells, there's no dedicated mental health pod, it has dropped ceilings that inmates use to fashion weapons from, concrete columns that obstruct visibility, locks can be jammed open with a piece of paper or a spork, ad nauseum. So a completely new building, built by a company that knows how to build (and has built) jails would be a big start. Then they need to work on the administration.

[shawnw]

on the bright side, it not being built like a jail should mean it would be easier to convert to an alternate use :-\