‘Deadliest Jail in America’: Criminal Reform Group Calls for Indictments After Grand Jury Report

Oklahoma County Jail

OKLAHOMA CITY –

One day after a multi-county grand jury released a scathing review of conditions at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, a local group is calling for additional actions.

RELATED: ‘Unhealthy And Even Lethal’: Oklahoma County Detention Center Grand Jury Report Released

Members of People’s Justice for Criminal Reform gathered outside of the OCDC on Friday to address the 15 page report which outlines numerous problems, from dangerous health conditions to rampant drug use.

“It goes beyond just neglect,” said member Mark Faulk.

Faulk says the group has been actively calling for the dissolution of the jail trust, and there are few things in the report they didn’t know already.

“I’m going to say nothing really shocked me. It’s what we expected to hear and what we hoped to hear,” said Faulk.

The report says, “homicide, rape, assault and sex crimes are commonplace” within the jail.

The grand jury also found that hiring is one of the biggest problems.

The report said former and possibly current employees have a “vested interest” in smuggling in drugs.

It goes on to say relaxed vetting procedures even led to the hiring of gang members.

“The fact that they hired gang members is appalling and frankly there should be criminal charges,” Faulk contended.

It’s the reason the group believes the report didn’t go far enough. The grand jury returned no indictments.

“We look at this like halftime,” said Faulk. “We’re not celebrating a victory at halftime.”

The group is asking for accountability for the 37 deaths that occurred within the jail over the last 3 years.

Faulk also blamed the oversight authority saying, “once the jail trust took over, the county jail became the deadliest jail in America.”