After a 2023 law change to curb the practice, records indicate at least one rural county regularly jails people for unpaid court fines and fees. Lawmakers have tasked a committee with gathering more information.

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An 18-year-old inmate at the Oklahoma County Detention Center called the emergency line four times over 45 minutes while a man was being beaten to death two cells away. The phone operator, later charged with manslaughter, told investigators she never notified anyone. A recent report found the jail chronically understaffed and unable to operate safely.

The post An Inmate Called for Help Four Times in 45 Minutes Before Anyone Came; A Man Was Being Beaten to Death appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Support Oklahoma Watch Epic Charter Schools' administrative building. (File photo) This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox. It's been four years since prosecutors charged the founders of Epic Charter Schools with embezzlement and other financial crimes related to the school's management. [...]

The post Education Watch: Why is the Epic Embezzlement Case Taking So Long? appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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The criminal case against Epic Charter Schools' co-founders is now more than four years old with no trial date set, no arraignment entered and a new attorney general taking office in January. Defense attorneys have delayed the case at every turn, and the next AG will inherit a prosecution of historic complexity and political sensitivity.

The post “Delay Usually Favors the Defense”: What’s Really Taking So Long in the Epic Charter Case appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Since 2021, Oklahoma sheriff turnover audits have identified more than 3,000 unaccounted-for items across county departments statewide — including guns, vehicles, Tasers and, in some cases, refrigerators and meat slicers. Some items were clerical errors. Others, including firearms, are genuinely missing with no record of where they went.

The post Missing Guns, 17 Vehicles and a Meat Slicer: What Oklahoma Sheriff Turnover Audits Are Finding appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Oklahoma is releasing more people from prison, but a patchwork of local housing policies, blanket criminal record bans and minimal reentry support is leaving many unable to find stable housing after release. A 74-year-old woman who spent more than 30 years in prison for a case she called self-defense is among those navigating the barriers.

The post $50 and a Bus Ticket appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Oklahoma prison inmates are working in call centers placing political calls and insurance telemarketing on behalf of outside companies, earning $2 an hour while a Virginia super PAC paid nearly $600,000 to the vendor for calls supporting conservative candidates — including calls made during Oklahoma's primary election season.

The post Who’s Calling? appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Oklahoma's felony murder rule allows children as young as 13 to be charged with first-degree murder — punishable by life without parole — for deaths that occur during a felony, regardless of intent. Supporters call it an essential prosecutorial tool. Critics say it punishes children for crimes they didn't intend to commit.

The post Felony Murder Rule in Oklahoma Can Send Children to Jail for Murders They Didn’t Personally Commit appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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Oklahoma's pretrial bail amounts vary wildly by county, with a DUI carrying a scheduled bail of $250 in one county and $50,000 in another. There is no statewide standard for non-traffic offenses, leaving the price of pretrial freedom to depend largely on geography, individual judges and local politics.

The post The Price of Freedom: Oklahoma Bail Schedules Vary Widely, Penalizing the Poorest appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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More than two-thirds of Oklahoma county jails have eliminated in-person visitation, replacing face-to-face visits with costly video calls that generate revenue for counties and private contractors. Advocates say the shift harms detainees, most of whom have not been convicted, and damages family bonds that research shows reduce recidivism.

The post “That’s Not a Visit”: How Pricey Video Calls Replaced Human Contact in Oklahoma Jails appeared first on Oklahoma Watch.

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