Three fired after brutal inmate murder inside Oklahoma private prison
LAWTON, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has confirmed three private prison employees at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Center were terminated following an inmate’s brutal murder.
The just-released State Medical Examiner’s report is shedding light on what happened behind prison walls.
Former employees at Oklahoma prisons share what conditions are like inside the DOC
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According to the State Medical Examiner’s report, Raymond Bailey’s death was ruled a homicide. The report also reveals there was no evidence of anyone intervening to save his life.
Emily Barnes, Director and Founder of Hooked on Justice, an Oklahoma prison advocacy organization, says she was horrified to hear the news coming from inmates inside the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility about Bailey’s murder.
“The medical report was very emotional to read. This man was hogtied. He was beat repeatedly. The stuff they did to this man, it’s hard to believe that somebody can do that to a human being, especially somebody in the same situation as them,” said Barnes. “I know it had to be multiple people. There was too much done to him.”
Bailey was serving time for second-degree murder out of Oklahoma County.
According to the State Medical Examiner report, Bailey’s body was “in fetal position with a fabric gag in mouth and fabric ligatures tied in knots securing the feet and tying the hands behind the back.”
It also notes there was a “clear plastic bag, containing four (4) small empty milk cartons, covering the body.”
Th autopsy report says Bailey’s death was caused by sharp and blunt forces to the body, plus gagging and binding.
“These guys are not safe inside. Staff isn’t safe,” said Barnes.
‘An ongoing problem’: Issues continue to arise inside Oklahoma prisons
Also in the autopsy report, the medical examiner found there was no intervention to save Bailey’s life.
Barnes blames it on the short staff the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) is allegedly experiencing.
“It’s ridiculous. I mean, it’s just something’s got to give… We’re losing too many people inside. And a lot of that is because of D.O.C. being short staffed,” said Barnes.
In a recent statement to KFOR, the Oklahoma DOC said their current security staff to inmate numbers are 14 to 1. They go on to say, “We do not release facility-specific or shift-specific numbers due to security concerns. No corrections department figures staffing ratios based on shifts.”
The ODOC also confirmed that three employees at the facility have been fired in connection to this case.
Oklahoma prison advocates are calling for a change inside the Oklahoma prison system.
“The system isn’t the system isn’t fixing them. The system is making them worse. The system is turning them to do stuff like this. And that’s what people need to realize. We are not rehabilitating people, we’re making them worse,” said Barnes.
A spokesperson for GEO Group, the Florida-based company which runs the private prison in Lawton sent KFOR the following statement:
We can confirm that on October 26, 2023, staff at the Lawton Correctional Facility were alerted to an inmate who appeared to be unresponsive and was determined to be deceased. We remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of all those in our care. The incident has been investigated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (OKDOC) and we would refer you to the OKDOC as it relates to the investigation.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections told KFOR they cannot comment on the case until the investigation is completed. They added their full criminal and administrative report should be ready in the next couple of weeks.
They’ve turned the results of their criminal investigation over to the Comanche County District Attorney.
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