No one has died in the Oklahoma County jail in the past six months, a welcome statistic for the 35-year-old, 13-story “tower of terror” also known as one of the “deadliest jails in America.”
While there were seven deaths at the jail in the first half of 2025, it’s the passage of six months — seven months as of Feb. 3 — that is giving jail administrator Tim Kimrey cautious hope that the troubled, overcrowded, chronically short-staffed facility is past its darkest days. Seven detainees also died in 2023 and 2024, one just about every other month, statistics show.
Staff reassignments, new hires, cell checks and the interception of drugs and other contraband have resulted in significant improvements in those nearly seven months, he told the county Criminal Justice Authority, the public trust that governs the jail, at its meeting Monday, Jan. 13…