Oklahoma County jail plagued by rodents, missed checks, and inmates sleeping on floors

Sight checks are supposed to be recorded in an electronic system. When inspectors asked the Jail Administrator for the electronic system, they did not provide it. The Jail Administrator told inspectors that jail staff used a combination of housing pod logbooks, door sight check forms, and the electronic system.

A log of sight checks was also not provided to OSDH inspectors for six inmates who died between February and December 2024. A review of sight checks for the death of inmate Lashala Taulbee-Pratt on September 20, 2023, revealed six missing sight checks.

By law, OSDH must be notified of an inmate’s death no later than the next working day. In the jail inspection report, OSDH said it was not notified of the death of on inmate on May 31, 2024, and only found out via a news report.

The Jail Administrator reported they notified OSDH of the death by email, but did not provide inspectors with a copy of the email for review.

The jail inspection report also noted a lack of 24-hour supervision of inmates, likely due to a lack of staff. On December 6, 2024, OSDH found only twelve detention officers were working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Of those twelve officers working, two were assigned to the medical pod, while the other 10 were assigned as “rover” to cover each of the seven floors of the jail. The seven floors of the jail, at the time, contained 27 housing units and 1,400 inmates.

Along with the lack of staff, the jail inspection report noted several inmates were not receiving their prescribed medications and inmates assigned to Chronic Care were not receiving care. Some inmates were even given the wrong medication strength or dosage.

The cleanliness of the jail was also brought up in the report, with inspectors finding several deficiencies including a black residue in housing pods, a pool of urine in a holding cell, and evidence of a mice infestation.

Mattresses for inmates were also found to be torn or cracked. Inmates showed inspectors evidence of a bed bug infestation, bed bug bites, and roaches.

The jail inspection report also found several inmates were not receiving showers in a timely fashion. Under state law, inmates must shower at least 3 times a week. In the report, some inmates were only showering once a week.

There were also several instances of inmates sleeping on the floor due to a lack of beds in cells.

Some inmates were also being held in the booking area for up to 4 days at a time. By law, inmates must only remain in booking for up to 24 hours before being assigned to a housing unit.

The jail inspection report offers solutions to all of the deficiencies noted in the report.