Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Voters in Oklahoma County have spoken. A new county jail will soon replace the current jail, which has endured decades of overcrowding, infrastructure issues, health violations, and inadequate security and staffing.
On June 28, nearly 60% of registered voters living in Oklahoma County approved a $260 million bond issue to construct the new jail. Officials expect the facility will be completed by the end of 2026. Although the exact site where the jail will be built has yet to be determined, county and city officials said it should be located no more than 10 miles from downtown. The next step in the process is to form a citizens’ oversight committee, similar to the one created for the MAPS projects, whose purpose would be to help ensure the design and construction of the jail will be done correctly and transparently.
