The Oklahoma County Detention Center, plagued by poor conditions, overcrowding, understaffing, and a high inmate death rate, could soon see a change in management.
District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe is advocating for the Oklahoma County Sheriff to take control of the facility, which has been under the oversight of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority Trust since 2020. “Over the last 5 years, we’ve had several deaths at the Oklahoma County Jail. It’s a place that doesn’t focus on rehabilitation over incarceration for non-violent offenders, and it’s a place over the last several years, has been inhumane,” Lowe said.
Lowe’s plan involves dissolving the trust and returning control to the sheriff, who he believes is more accountable to the public. “My plan is for the trust to dissolve itself, and for the duly elected sheriff to run the Oklahoma County Jail. He’s accountable to the people. The trust members are not,” Lowe stated…