Oklahoma County Voters Pass Jail Bond Worth $260 Million

A $260 million bond to build a new jail was approved by Oklahoma County voters Tuesday night.

The jail bond passed with nearly 60 percent of the vote. The passage means a new jail will likely replace the more than 30-year-old facility in downtown Oklahoma City.

“From the beginning, it had problems,” Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council executive director Tim Tadibono said. “The breakouts that we still are having where people are breaking the walls open and putting the sheets down that was happening within the first month that it was open.”

Some folks nicknamed the jail “The Money Pit,’ based on the extensive repairs done over the years. This year, the jail also reported eight inmate deaths in addition to failing state health inspections.

Oklahoma County commissioners believed something needed to be done, so they approved a $260 million bond to put in the hands of voters.

Oklahoma County District 2 commissioner Brian Maughan said a citizen's advisory board will be created to oversee how the jail will be designed and run.

“We're going to build a mental health facility in this and also a better design,” Maughan said. “(It will be) a one-level facility so that we don’t have the challenge of a 13-story high rise that we have now.”

“We don't want to criminalize mental health, and we don't want to put a mental health facility under the control of the jail trust in an actual jail,” The People’s Council for Justice Reform organizer Mark Faulk said.

Faulk is one person among the 40 percent of voters who opposed the bond. The People's Council for Justice Reform is advocating for voters to say ‘No’ to the bond.

Group members said the issue starts at the head with management and that money should go to addressing mental health and resources.

“A building doesn't grow an arm and start hitting people. A building doesn't not pass out medication. A building didn't magically do this. This isn't Hollywood,” The People’s Council for Justice Reform member Christopher Johnston said.

“The building prohibits us from doing the job well of doing constitutional, humane care,” Tadibono said.

“Although many dedicated people have put great effort into improving the current Oklahoma County Detention Center, voters understood the need to invest in a new facility which will improve conditions for all and support a more humane approach to criminal justice,” jail trust chair Jim Couch said in a statement. “We thank the many parties who came together to create a comprehensive plan to fund a new jail, all without raising taxes on Oklahoma County residents. However, until the new jail is ready the Jail Trust will continue to upgrade operations to serve the community while protecting the public, detainees and staff.”