oklahoma county jail deaths 2021

Miles and Butler later told an investigator they believed that the jail didnt provide enough discipline for unruly prisoners, according to court documents. An hour before the incident, an officer interacted with Gonzales and did not see any cause for . Apparently, the third went to central control but was unanswered. It was just after 2 a.m. on a Saturday in December 2019 when two detention officers took John Basco from his cell and forced him to listen to the song on repeat for two hours while standing with his hands cuffed to a metal bar, according to a court affidavit. Nationwide, there were 1,120 deaths reported, or a rate of 154 deaths per 100,000 people in jail, the highest levels since BJS' first report on this topic in 2000. 631. One expert, Dr. Kenneth Ray, called the administration a competent and motivated leadership team.. What happened: A detention officer was passing out hand sanitizer before breakfast on Aug. 19 when an inmate didnt come to the cell door, according to an incident report from the jail. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The former head of Oklahoma's prison system was appointed Monday to the Oklahoma County Jail Trust. Theyll finally come. Its time that we start doing something about this issue and stop bullshitting.. The U.S. Department of Justice has repeatedly documented dangerous conditions at the jail that it found violated prisoners civil rights since at least 2003, but the agency has failed to enforce the terms of a settlement requiring the county to adequately fund and staff the facility. Jail staff then called for medical staff who started resuscitation efforts while calling for an ambulance. Hollins is the third inmate to die in the Oklahoma County Detention Center since the start of 2021. After another 15 minutes had passed, the man appeared to have another seizure, according to the report. The phone number is 828-250-4474. When you call, give the staff member the name of who you are looking for and a birthdate or age if you have it. Heatherington was found unresponsive. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. He had been booked March 23; On the evening of March 11, jail staff found Charles Moore, 48, unresponsive in his cell while passing out medication. We should be investing in more mental health pods and psychiatric units, and minimizing the amount of time an individual spends in general population if theyre screened to have a mental illness and be suicidal, Beaumont said. In the 19 months since January 2021, records indicate 26 inmates have died more than one-third of the total from the 10 previous years. February 23, 2023 (19 years old) View obituary. Location: Haskell County Criminal Justice Center in Stigler. Location: Oklahoma County Detention Center. They are maintained and available for public. Five of the six detention officers who now face criminal charges were involved in uses of force against prisoners who left their cells to shower or use the toilet without permission from detention officers, according to court records and interviews. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Location: Muskogee County Detention Facility in Muskogee. Records show the jail now employs fewer detention officers to supervise prisoners than it did in 2008. Typically when someone dies in the jail, family members will seek litigation, which is completely their right, Blumert said. What happened: Jailers were alerted that Heatherington was having a seizure after other prisoners began kicking the dorm room door. Six detention officers have been charged in state court with assault and mistreatment of prisoners at the jail since October. Stillwater, Oklahoma. Paramedics and firefighters started to administer CPR and continued as they took Davis to the hospital. Among the items discussed in executive session during the jail trusts April meeting were wrongful-death tort claims from the estates of Parker James Stephens and Gregory Davis. Others die by suicide or overdose, which is often due to contraband entering the facility. February 27, 2023 (96 years old) View obituary. The Council for the Study of Community Colleges 2021 Program - Flip eBook Pages 1-50 | AnyFlip. What happened: Another prisoner alerted jailers that Level was unresponsive. We lost another human being. The current jail trust is transparent. The detention officers sometimes used the song as a form of discipline for inmates who left their cells, according to accounts from former prisoners. His cellmate, Shaquile D Shaun Brown (left), confessed after being taken to a hospital for a mental assessment, the Oklahoma State . a doctor declared Gonzales deceased at 4:57 p.m.The cause of death is unknown at this time.Gonzales was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on Oct. 16, 2021. To combat suicides, the panel concluded that jails need to hire more mental health professionals and expand video technology. Chairman Jim Couch simply thanked him for the report and moved that it be accepted by the trust. National incarceration rates increased some in late 2020 as courts resumed normal operations, but remain far lower than pre-pandemic levels. Name: Michael Reagan Jr.Age: 44Died: Jan. 13, 2020Location: Okmulgee County Criminal Justice AuthorityCause and manner of death: UndeterminedWhat happened: Updated story, Jan. 15, 2020: Reagan appeared to be having a seizure in his cell on January 13, according to an incident report jail staff sent to the state jail inspector. The livestreamed trial has chronicled Murdaugh's spectacular downfall from the wealthy scion of a respected and powerful legal dynasty to an admitted pill-popper and thief who is alleged to have . Most of Oklahoma Watchs content is available for republication by other news media in print and digital form. Im sick and tired of it is the best way I can put it.. Brewer beat her before spraying her face and torso with pepper spray as she lay naked on the floor of the shower in a fetal position, according to the womans account. Winfred Lowe, 57, was found unresponsive in his cell by staff dispensing medication on Jan. 17. What happened: A jailer found Mason unresponsive in his cell, hanging from the top bunk with a bed sheet wrapped around his neck. After a death, Id call the sheriff and go over what happened. After Weeks was found unresponsive, staff and medical personnel began life saving efforts before he was transported by ambulance to the . Requests for records can be made by completing and . The pay is low, about $3,000 a month, and working conditions can be dangerous. Among those who die in jail by suicide, the median time from booking to death was just nine days, according to the data compiled by Prison Policy Initiative. Ward told officers upon arrest that she did not feel well, TPD Sgt. April 14, 2021. We work closely with our medical provider to identify detainees with severe physical and mental health issues, and alert the courts to help facilitate their release when appropriate.. Cause and manner of death: The state Medical Examiner determined Rhodes died from cardiac tamponade. Cause and manner of death: Possible suicide by hanging, Location: David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center in Tulsa. Inmate death is 5th of 2021 at Oklahoma County jail. He was pronounced dead 13 days later. 1100 University Avenue Huntsville, Texas 77340 936-436-4910 . The Oklahoma County Detention Center has struggled for decades with inadequate funding and staffing shortages. But cell doors throughout most of the facility have faulty doors and locking mechanisms that prisoners can easily rig to open to move around freely in their housing units and maybe even sneak in an unsanctioned shower. Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ellis was booked into the jail after failing to appear in court on a DUI charge. Beaumont said an example of a successful diversion program is the Tulsa Sobering Center, which diverts individuals suspected of public intoxication to a specialized treatment facility rather than the county jail. Many of the dead were discovered unresponsive by staff making routine rounds. And health care inside jails can vary widely. Tuell said Ward was routinely checked in while at the jail, as inmates normally are. The remainder were caused by homicide, accident or substance abuse. He beat the shit outta me..I have nobody, daddy, the woman wrote. Smith led the special litigation section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice from 2010 to 2015. Last week, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice visited the Oklahoma County jail for three days. As long as Oklahoma County has been able to show it has been making some effort to make improvements, the Department of Justice has not pressed the issue, said Francie Ekwerekwu, who sits on the jail trust. The most recent death at the jail prior to Bishop was the suicide of Gabriel Yalartai on Dec. 26. Gregory Davis, 53 (DOB 5-10-68), who was alone in his cell, was found unresponsive by jail staff who were making a mental health check at 9:12 a.m. Thursday, August 12. May 17, 2021. The Oklahoma County Jail contracts with Turn Key Health for its medical services. It resulted in the firing of a detention officer who failed to conduct required sight checks every 30 minuteson Yalartai, who was being held in a mental health unit. Want to support our mission to hold powerful people accountable, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light on darkness in Oklahoma? Brad Lane screamed for help repeatedly the night he was beaten to death by his cellmate in the Oklahoma County Detention Center in January. Bishop had been booked in June 6, 2021. Follow him on Twitter at @_KeatonRoss. What happened: Tharp was unconscious so someone performed CPR on him, according to a jail incident report. Charges were also filed and dismissed against the sheriff. Blumert said the recent $1.1 million settlement was the largest she can recall since she was elected. Death Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or Oklahoma County Clerk's Offices, which may be run by the state or at the local level. Oklahoma County Jail deaths this year include the following: Jail administrator Greg Williams, who was hired by the trust to run the jail when it took over the facility from the sheriff in 2020, said in a statement to NonDoc that jail staff continue to work to reduce inmate deaths. The report states: For example, the phones on the 13th floor pregnant inmate unit, the [inspectors] asked the inmates to conduct a system test explaining that it was the middle of the night and their cellmate had gone into labor. There were situations in which inmates were abused. Updated: Sep 13, 2022 / 06:14 PM CDT. As with many jobs, it takes real-time experience in the field for each person to figure out if he or she is cut out for a career in this field., Prisoners can rig their cell doors open in order to take a shower. There were 14 deaths at the jail in 2021, according to Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner Keith Reed. A spokesman initially stated Ward turned herself in. Five inmates have now died at the jail this year, and two . The death was the second one in the week. Guthries health started to deteriorate later that day and he was again transported to a hospital where he died, according to KTUL. Guthrie was treated at the hospital, cleared and released back to custody. Jail nurses performed CPR on the man. Six states Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont were excluded from the investigation because their state corrections department oversees pretrial detention facilities. He had been booked into the jail March 30, 2021. Quintana-Lujan told officer he shared a marijuana cigarette the night before, according to the document. I think that, honestly, if were meeting those standards its just barely, if at all, she said. I said please, fix my door or whatever you want, just please turn off the music.. What happened: German was being held at the jail after police arrested her on suspicion of public intoxication on the Fourth of July. There have been at least 84 deaths at the Oklahoma County Detention Center since 2009, according to data compiled by The Frontier and an investigation into jail death rates by Reuters. Tuesday, a similar situation occurred when a detainee died from an apparent heart attack. In those cases in which there are significant problems that require the implementation of a remedy over an extended period of time, a court ordered remedy either a consent decree or injunction after trial is more appropriate, Smith said in an email to The Frontier. Solomon became ill at the jail and was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital where he died a month later, according to the state Medical Examiner. To say Im concerned or to say its concerning that just sounds like Im minimizing it, Prater said. (Tres Savage) Amid a flood of controversy and bad press surrounding problems at the Oklahoma County . The states urban jails have also struggled to care for inmates with mental illness. During that same time period, the Tulsa County Jail saw 34 inmate deaths, while Cleveland County recorded seven deaths. Tuell said Ward was involved in no altercations and did not indicate she was a danger to herself. Medical staff continued resuscitation efforts until Oklahoma City firefightersarrived and took over, according to the statement. As a nonprofit news organization,The Frontieris funded by tax-deductible donations made by people who support quality journalism. There were 14 deaths at the jail in 2021, according to Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner Keith Reed. The Oklahoma Medical Examiners office now has the body and will determine the cause of death. Basco told The Frontier in an interview that it was common for him to go three or four days at a time without time to shower, because of a constant lack of staff at the jail, he said. Brewer, who stands 6-foot-2 inches tall and weighs 280 pounds, is accused of punching a naked female prisoner in the face with a closed fist in August. Multiple Oklahoma inmates have died because staff failed to provide medical assistance in a timely manner. Oklahoma Countys agreement with the Department of Justice required it to hire enough staff so that each jail housing unit or pod would have at least one detention officer to continuously monitor prisoners. He had been booked on June 28; Shawn Slavens was one month shy of his 46th birthday when staff responded to a fight inside a cell on June 25. Seven inmates have died there in the last three months and at least 84 inmates there have died since 2009, a rate more than double the national average. Basco was in custody facing drug charges at the time. What to know as Oklahoma voters decide on March 7 if they want to expand the states medical marijuana market to adult recreational users 21 and older. Thats 12 in seven months, Johnston said. Lightfoot is among the . An inmate death at the Oklahoma County Detention Center leaves a lot of unanswered questions for family members. Oldham had Lanes name tattooed on her arm after he died. An inspection report from the National Institute of Corrections also found phones that were not working in the medical unit. Second-degree manslaughter charges were filed and later dismissed against Turn Key staff in the 2016 death of Anthony Huff, who was strapped to a restraint chair in Garfield County jail for 48 hours without adequate food or water, court records show. Another jailer called Brewer for backup after the woman refused to return to her cell and went to take a shower, she wrote. He was transported to Alliance Health Midwest hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. The Oklahoma County Jail saw four deaths in 2020, according to The Frontier, and six in 2019. With up to 2,700 inmates on a daily basis, the 268,000 square-foot Oklahoma County Detention Center is the largest in the state, according to the sheriff's office. Under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, the Department of Justice has the power to file lawsuits on behalf of jail and prison inmates in order to compel state and local governments to provide humane living conditions. Remain far lower than pre-pandemic levels night before, according to the Frontier, and working can... Recent $ 1.1 million settlement was the largest she can recall since was. Now employs fewer Detention officers have been charged in state court with assault mistreatment. 2021 at Oklahoma County jail for three days from cardiac tamponade heart attack typically when someone dies in the prior... 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