OKLAHOMA CITY –
A University of Tulsa law professor is launching a new effort to track jail deaths across Oklahoma, pointing to rising totals, costly lawsuits and concerns about inmate care. Matt Lamkin’s Jail Death Accountability Project aims to collect data and stories from families while examining whether deaths behind bars could have been prevented.
The Numbers
33: Age of latest inmate death
Oklahoma County Detention Center officials reported the death of 33-year-old Dancing Feathers Whitecrow earlier this month. The case remains under investigation, and the state medical examiner has not released an official cause of death.
60: Deaths since 2020
Lamkin said there is a “pipeline of inmates who have died,” including 60 deaths in Oklahoma County jails since 2020.
“Because there is a whole pipeline of inmates who have died,” said Lamkin. “The 60 who have died since 2020, many of those the county is going to have to pay substantial sums on.”
$40 million: Judgment tied to 2015 death
Taxpayers will vote in August on a sales tax increase tied to a $40 million judgment in the 2015 death of Terral Ellis Jr. in Ottawa County. Ellis died of septic shock after requesting medical help, according to Lamkin, who cited jail video showing a nurse threatening to restrain him.
$7 million: Lawsuit over 2021 jail death
In May, Brad Lane’s estate won a $7 million lawsuit connected to his 2021 beating death by a cellmate in Oklahoma County. Lamkin said similar settlements are adding up.
2: Reported deaths in past year
Detention center officials reported a decline in deaths, with two deaths recorded between July 4, 2025, and July 4, 2026, prior to Whitecrow’s death.
Why these numbers matter
Lamkin argues many in-custody deaths are preventable and linked to missed safety checks and delayed medical care.
“They have been found to miss many, many sight checks that they are supposed to be performing on a regular basis,” he said. “And a lot of inmates died who probably could have been saved.”
What comes next
Lamkin is asking families who lost loved ones in city or county jails to submit information for his study. He said the goal is to build a clearer picture of how often deaths occur and what factors contribute to them.
Tips can be submitted to Lamkin’s study by email at [email protected] or by calling 601-732-5245.
