Problems Continue To Plague Oklahoma Co. Jail After Handoff To Jail Trust

There have been complaints and problems with conditions at the Oklahoma County jail for decades.

The sheriff's office handed over control to the jail trust, but so far it's been more of the same.

Since July 2020, News 9 knows nine inmates have died in custody, including the man shot and killed by police during the hostage situation on Saturday.

Investigators said another inmate was beaten to death by his cellmate. Several others died from medical problems.

Then there are staffing issues.

"We'll have one officer that works this entire floor on a lot of nights. So, it is impossible for one person to look at 400 cells," said CEO Greg Williams said in January.

Since July, the jail trust has had to recapture three escapees, but the trust said that is an issue with the building design from 1990.

In one case, two men used bedsheets to climb out the window.

Another problem with the building is that it's designed for 1,200 inmates. Right now, there are nearly 1,600.

"There are three people to a cell, but there are only two beds. I sleep on the floor on a mat, three feet away from the toilet," said one inmate in the county jail in January.

The jail told News 9 in less than nine months, major infrastructure projects have been completed.