Former OCDC Inmate Claims Her Face Was Severely Burned in Jail, Files Federal Lawsuit

Oklahoma City, Okla. (KOKH) — The Oklahoma County Detention Center is now facing a federal lawsuit.

A former inmate claims her face was badly burned while she was locked up.

Court records show Chandra Graham was in the jail as a pretrial detainee.

She was originally arrested in 2021 for a non-violent crime.

“Her face was severely disfigured and burned after four days of being in our county jail,” People’s Council for Justice Reform member Christopher Johnston said.

Graham filed a federal lawsuit against the jail and the sheriff’s office on March 27, 2023.

She says the way the jail staff treated her was inhumane.

“She was naked with another person inside the cell for four days,” Johnston said. “She hit the medical button 50 times. There was no care. No oversight.”

Graham says standing water, feces and urine were on the floor in her cell.

She claims the jail used an unknown chemical to clean it up which burned her skin.

“Ask yourselves, is this normal?” Johnston said. “People who are not convicted yet of a crime should not be tortured and beaten. I would like to think that answer is no.”

“Everybody that has investigated the jail has concluded that the sheriff was much better at taking care of the jail,” Johnston said.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment.

Graham is seeking money for medical and legal bills and emotional distress.

Records show there have been 37 deaths since the trust took over in 2020.

The Jail Trust says they can’t comment because of the litigation.