Recruiters promised Oklahomans struggling with addiction free treatment and housing in Southern California. Patients described sparse therapy, relapses and being left without a way home as insurers accused treatment providers of fraud.
The Frontier examined how state officials helped reopen the Diamondback Correctional Facility, how the Department of Corrections and a private prison company stand to profit, and what detainees and attorneys say about conditions inside.
Funding concerns are a key issue in Oklahoma County races this year. The Frontier examined candidates’ claims.
After taking over for Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s interim state superintendent faced low morale, a backlog of records requests and lawsuits, and an agency consumed by controversy. Fields said his goal was to “clear the runway” to give his successor a chance to focus on students.
An interim study examined ways to help defendants await trial outside of jail, from expanded legal representation to individualized assessments of their ability to pay bail. Officials say reforms could reduce costs and improve constitutional protections.
The state Department of Corrections earns millions to monitor operations at the privately run Diamondback Correctional Facility for compliance with ICE standards and to “perform other administrative functions.” But the state won’t release the contract outlining its responsibilities as detainees and attorneys report problems with staffing, medical care and access to lawyers.
After sitting idle for over a decade, a for-profit prison in rural Western Oklahoma is now a key hub in the Trump Administration’s plan to carry out the largest mass-deportation effort in U.S. history.
James Pavatt is scheduled to be executed Nov. 12 for killing his girlfriend Brenda Andrew’s husband in 2001. His attorney argued there was no credible evidence Pavatt was the shooter, and the jury foreperson said he now questions the death sentence.
Across Oklahoma, oilfield wastewater has continued to surface from the ground — even as regulators failed to contain it. This investigation examines how oversight fell short, how contamination spread and how families were left to navigate the consequences.
Chinese criminal networks have taken over much of the illicit marijuana market in Oklahoma, stoking a wave of crime that includes violence, money laundering and human trafficking. And authorities suspect some of those involved have links to powerful forces in the Chinese state.
There have been at least 25 police shootings in Oklahoma this year, at least 14 of which have been fatal.
The Democratic congressional candidate discusses healthcare, affordability, immigration and education, and explains why she believes voters are willing to consider a change in representation.
