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Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell
by Michael Dean Thompson
The Davis Correctional Facility (DCF), a medium security prison in Holdenville, was described by The Oklahoman as little-known. Yet, over the last four years, 20 detainees and a prison guard have suffered violent deaths at the hands of prisoners. That contrasts with the better-known …
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More from this issue:
- He Died in a Florida Jail. The Company in Charge Should Have Sent Him to the Hospital, Experts Say., by Nichole Manna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $3.25 Million Verdict in New York Against Jail Medical Profiteer Armor Health, by Chuck Sharman
- Louisiana Republicans Eliminate Elected Office Won by Exonerated Ex-Prisoner
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, by Douglas Ankney
- Detainee Deaths Went Unreported at Dallas County Jail
- Eighth Circuit Rules Plaintiff Must Cover Expert Costs, by Michael Thompson
- Wisconsin State Prison Population Approaches Record High
- Eighth Circuit Revives § 1983 Complaint Alleging Jail Detainees’ Death from Stroke was Due to Deliberate Indifference and Failure to Train, by Douglas Ankney
- Wisconsin Bans Recording of Prison Phone Calls with Journalists
- Conviction Tossed for Former Alabama Prisoner Paroled After 42 Years, by Chuck Sharman
- SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, by Chuck Sharman
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, by Chuck Sharman
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, by Matthew Clarke
- Alabama Barred from Executing Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia, by Chuck Sharman
- North Texas Prison Evacuated After Carbon Monoxide Leak
- ICE Stops Reporting Deaths of Recently Released Detainees
- Oregon Supreme Court: Jail Credit Statute Focuses Upon Legal Custody Not Physical Custody Location, by David M. Reutter
- Missouri Bill Increases Mandatory Minimums, Expands Prosecutors’ Role in Juvenile Court, by Michael Thompson
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Governor Appoints Ex-Prisoner to State Oversight Role
- Ohio Jail Leaders Knew Cameras Were Broken for Four Years Before Fixing Them, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, by Chuck Sharman
- SCOTUS Shuts Down GEO Group Bid for Immunity in Suit by Colorado ICE Detainees, by Chuck Sharman
- Rikers Island Captain Nicknamed “Terror of the Tombs” Indicted for Extortion, Wage Theft, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New Jersey Lawmakers Pass “Female Incarcerated Person’s Rights Protection Act”, by Douglas Ankney
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- Idaho Will Recruit Law Enforcement Volunteers for Firing Squad Executions
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, by Douglas Ankney
- Corrections Board Seeks to Join California Justice Department Juvenile Halls Lawsuit, by Michael Thompson
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- New York to Become First State to Require Judges to Visit Prisons
- Prisoners’ Risk of Death In Custody More than Doubles in Solitary Confinement, by Chuck Sharman
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, by Chuck Sharman
- BOP Ordered to Restart Gender Affirming Care for Trans Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
- BOP Supervisor in Colorado Indicted for Smuggling Over 400 Vapes
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Colorado Ordered to Stop Tossing Prisoners in Solitary for Refusing to Work, by Chuck Sharman
- Arizona Lawmakers Refuse to Fully Fund Prison Healthcare Staffing Ordered by Federal Court, by Chuck Sharman
- Oklahoma Jail Closes After $2.55 Million Payout for Retaliatory Strip Search, by Chuck Sharman
- SCOTUS Refuses to Allow Damages Under RLUIPA for Rastafarian Former Prisoner Shaved Bald by Louisiana Prison Officials, by Chuck Sharman
- HRDC Wins Injunction to Halt New Mexico Prison Censorship, by Chuck Sharman
- Environmental Groups Say the Fight to Shut Down “Alligator Alcatraz” Isn’t Over, by Alexandra Martinez
- Tennessee Calls Off Execution After Botched Lethal Injection
- Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell, by Michael Thompson
- $130,030 Jury Verdict for Connecticut Prisoner Subjected to Inhumane Conditions, by Chuck Sharman
- Three Women Died at a Michigan Prison in Less than a Month, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Eighth Circuit Revives Prisoner Lawsuit over Conditions of Confinement, by Michael Thompson
- Colorado Prison Wardens Participated in Longstanding Racist, Homophobic Group Chat
- Pennsylvania Bungles Management at George W. Hill Prison after Taking Back Control from GEO Group, by Michael Thompson
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, by Matthew Clarke
- Execution Stayed for South Carolina Prisoner with Immortality Belief, by Michael Thompson
- Tainted Chicken Leads to Widespread Salmonella Outbreak at New York Jail
- Federal Conviction, Guilty Pleas for Jail Guards Responsible for Oklahoma Detainee’s Death
- California Gave Every Student in Prison a Laptop. How Community Colleges Are Using Them, by Ella Carter-Klauschie
- Colorado DOC Freezes Visitations After Two Prisoner Deaths
- San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, by Jo Ellen Nott
- News in Brief
More from Michael Thompson:
- Eighth Circuit Rules Plaintiff Must Cover Expert Costs, July 1, 2026
- Missouri Bill Increases Mandatory Minimums, Expands Prosecutors’ Role in Juvenile Court, July 1, 2026
- Corrections Board Seeks to Join California Justice Department Juvenile Halls Lawsuit, July 1, 2026
- Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell, July 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Prisoner Lawsuit over Conditions of Confinement, July 1, 2026
- Pennsylvania Bungles Management at George W. Hill Prison after Taking Back Control from GEO Group, July 1, 2026
- Execution Stayed for South Carolina Prisoner with Immortality Belief, July 1, 2026
- Spate of Deaths at Tulsa Jail Highlights Medical Neglect, June 1, 2026
- NaphCare Pulls Out of Washington Jails After Lawsuit Payouts, June 1, 2026
- Washington State Supreme Court Ruling Supports Broad Immunity in Overdose Cases, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- BOP Supervisor in Colorado Indicted for Smuggling Over 400 Vapes, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Colorado Prison Wardens Participated in Longstanding Racist, Homophobic Group Chat, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Gay/Lesbian, Employee Litigation.
- New Jersey Lawmakers Pass “Female Incarcerated Person’s Rights Protection Act”, July 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Staff Training, Mothers in Prison.
- Rikers Island Captain Nicknamed “Terror of the Tombs” Indicted for Extortion, Wage Theft, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Threats by Staff, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Criminal Justice, Prison Conditions.
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Tainted Chicken Leads to Widespread Salmonella Outbreak at New York Jail, July 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Infections, Food, Sanitation, Negligence/Reckless Endangerment.
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Systemic Medical Neglect, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Alabama Prison Warden Reportedly Arrested and Walked Off Job, June 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct.
- FTC Substantiates Allegations Against ViaPath Related to Data Breach and Orders Remedial Action, June 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Trust Accounts, Telephone Monitoring, Deliberate Indifference, Global Tel*Link Corp.

