Amid Funding Concerns, Phased Construction Plan Approved for New Oklahoma County Jail
A rendering by HOK of the future Oklahoma City Jail. | Photo Credit: Oklahoma County/HOK
By Charlie Lange
OKLAHOMA CITY — On Aug. 20, the Oklahoma County Commission approved a recommendation from the Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board regarding the proposed site and a phased construction plan for the future Oklahoma County Jail.
Under the plan presented by County Engineer Stacey Trumbo, some jail operations would transfer to a newly constructed intake site and behavioral health center before the current jail in downtown Oklahoma City would close. However, leaders say additional funding will be needed before extensive construction of the new facility can begin, as costs for the project have not yet been fully funded.
The current 30-year-old, 13-story Oklahoma County Detention Center has long been plagued by overcrowding and safety issues and was the subject of a critical grand jury report in 2023, spurring plans to construct a new facility.
Voters originally approved $260 million in bonds to cover the first phase of the project in 2022, but today, construction costs are expected to exceed $600 million. The new intake center, which would connect the new jail to the current one and provide nearly 400 holding cells, is expected to cost approximately $220 million alone.
Representatives from HOK were present at the most recent board meeting to explain the phased construction, under which all intake and booking as well as laundry and kitchen operations would transfer to the new facility, while most detention and housing duties would remain at the current jail until the rest of the construction funding is secured. The plan also includes diverting inmates to the behavioral care center on the same campus during intake.
“This isn’t an unheard-of process where you have an intake center and you get everything set up. You get to hold the property, you get it properly stored, and then you take them over to housing,” said Jeff Bradley, Director of Civic and Justice Projects for HOK, during the meeting.
Bradley also noted how cities like El Paso, Texas, have similarly split operations across facilities.
“It will also allow people to be trained on how to manage this new facility for you, instead of just opening the entire thing immediately,” Bradley said.
To aid in funding the project and advance the construction timeline, the board also recommended selling the county’s remaining $215 million in bonds. According to County Commissioner Myles Davidson, local citizens will vote on additional project funding next spring, though construction for the intake facility could start as early as this fall.
But not all commissioners agreed with moving forward, including District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe, who voted against the plan.
“Right now, we cannot even fund our current site. Just imagine a situation where the voters reject the additional funding, which is $500 million, and then we’re going to have to fund or pay for operational costs for the current jail,” said Lowe.
A final decision on the plan from the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners is pending.