A Cleveland County Detention Center inmate was pronounced dead Thursday morning, the eighth death in the last two years.
According to KOCO 5, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations identified the inmate as Alex Wright. Wright's death is currently being investigated by OSBI.
According to an email sent to OU Daily by Cleveland County Director of Communications Storme Jones, Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason informed the Board of Commissioners of the inmate's death on Thursday.
“Commissioners are saddened by the loss of life at the detention center and, while recognizing that inmate populations tend to be higher-risk than the average population, they find any preventable loss of life unacceptable,” Jones wrote in the release.
Before Wright’s death, the sixth and seventh deaths were announced in August, where both inmates died following attempts of suicide.
Frustrated with the growing number of deaths, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with SIMCO Correctional Consulting, LLC on Aug. 9 to investigate potential causes of death within the CCDC.
“The rising number of jail inmate deaths at the Cleveland Detention Center has been a growing cause of concern for Cleveland County Commissioners over the course of Sheriff Chris Amason’s tenure in office,” Joy Hampton, Cleveland County public information specialist, wrote in the release on Sept. 19.
SIMCO, a firm specializing in the operation and safety of correctional facilities, will conduct an investigation into potential causes of death and provide detailed recommendations for the facility.
According to state court records, Wright was arrested in March on several drug and firearm related charges.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Anusha Fathepure. Geethika Kollu and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
