New Oklahoma County Jail Health Inspection Reveals Repeat Safety Concerns

A new report from the Oklahoma State Department of Health reveals several health problems at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. The inspection continues a decades-long dilemma with the jail facility and hazardous living conditions.  

Fire safety concerns 

The health department's probe discovered the jail didn’t maintain an automatic fire alarm and smoke detection system. The report said those systems could affect the safety and lives of everyone inside the jail during emergencies. 

Questionable living conditions 

According to the report, inspectors found cells littered with debris and conditions susceptible to parasites. These facts are similar to a 2023 inspection where inspectors found bed bugs and cockroaches. The report shows inadequate medical care and checks on inmates -- including those on suicide watch. Inspectors found rooms with temperatures below 60 degrees and jail staff’s failure to provide two hot meals each day. 

Improper record keeping  

The facility did not tell OSDH about an inmate's death back in May, according to the report. Along with several other issues documenting incidents and notifying the health department.

Concerns over jail safety in other municipalities 

In 2023, The Village entered an agreement with Yukon to prevent people facing municipal or minor offenses from spending time in the Oklahoma County jail. 

Previous disagreements between jail administration and state health officials 

In July of 2024, state health inspectors claimed jail staff locked them out of the building preventing them from doing inspections. The state health commissioner threatened jail administrators with $10,000 fines for each day the jail failed to let health inspectors do their jobs.  

Overcrowding and understaffing 

This new report also found overcrowding and understaffing continue to be an issue. The jail declined to comment on Wednesday night. A spokesperson said they were reviewing the report. An OSDH spokesperson said, "The inspection speaks for what we found and cited."

What’s next?  

Oklahoma County is trying to build a new jail and mental health facility. Disagreements over the potential site near Del City delayed the process. Last week, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the county is immune from OKC's zoning rules. The mental health facility should open in two years.