Two inmates killed, more than 20 injured at Lawton prison

Two inmates were killed and more than 30 others were injured in a group brawl at the Lawton Correction and Rehabilitation Center on Friday, The Oklahoman has learned. Corrections officials said at least two of the inmates suffered serious injuries and were transported to the hospital – one by medi-flight and one by ground vehicle.

“LCRF experienced a group disturbance in which several inmates were injured and two were killed,” Department of Corrections spokesman Kay Thompson said in an email. “It is unknown at this time how many had minor injuries and were treated at the facility.”

The incident, which is currently being investigated by the Department of Corrections’ inspector general, was described by Thompson as a “group disorder.” She said the visit to the facility was canceled this weekend.

Kay Thompson, public information director for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections

“This was an operational error by the prison,” Thompson said.

Emily Barnes, founder of criminal justice advocacy group Hooked on Justice, said the incident involved two gangs that were supposed to be kept separate. She said one of the gangs was let into the yard, which started the fight.

Earlier this year, Thompson said the DOC expanded its contraband interdiction unit to prevent items such as cellphones and drugs from entering the facilities. She said the department works with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control to help combat street drug operations, thereby reducing the number of drugs in the facilities.

She said the department’s strategy has worked and the DOC has seen “a significant decrease in violence” between security threat groups. Earlier this year, she said the department was making data-driven decisions to reduce violence in the facilities.

Thompson said the department’s operations team is working closely with The Geo Group to understand how this happened and what corrective actions need to be taken. “ODOC is always concerned about the health and safety of the individuals we serve and those incarcerated in contract facilities,” she said. The Oklahoma man reached out to the private prison group but received no response.

Thompson said the number of violent incidents in state prisons has declined since October after the department revised its misconduct policies and took strategic steps to group certain groups of security threats together, which reduces gang violence.

Barnes said she was first informed by inmates Friday evening that the facility was on lockdown. She said inmates didn’t eat until around 1 a.m. because of the lockdown. Barnes said people at the facility told her they believed the fight was intentional because the two gangs were not allowed to share the same space.

“This is considered a mini-riot as more than 30 people were involved and more than 30 people were injured,” Barnes said. “DOC is allowing this thing to continue and something needs to be done.”

The incident was strongly condemned by Rep. Justin Humphrey, chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee. Humphrey has been critical of the management of the prison system and previously called for policy changes to better protect both DOC staff and inmates.

“I am very disappointed that the Department of Corrections has ignored the overwhelming evidence that our prison system is prepared for a disaster,” Humphrey said. “I have publicly warned that violence in Oklahoma prisons is escalating. Just this week we have a previous report of a stabbing in Lawton, a fatal stabbing in Hinton and a stabbing in Holdenville. Now we have a report of a… Possible riot with reports of several injuries and possibly three deaths. I hope the governor and our legislators take note and take appropriate action to prevent more lives from being lost.

Humphrey said it’s time for state officials to declare a state of emergency in the prison system.

The killings are the latest in a series of violent incidents at the Lawton facility, owned by Geo Group. Last October, inmate Raymond Bailey was attacked and killed at the LCRC. Bailey’s body, which was not discovered for hours, was found in a garbage can covered by a plastic bag with four small milk cartons on top.

Both Lawton Correctional Facility and Allen Gamble Correctional Center in Holdenville (formerly Davis Correctional Center) reported eight murders in the last five years. Those numbers are the highest in the state system, which continues to struggle with violence against inmates.

Records obtained by the Department of Corrections show that at least 29 inmates died from homicide between 2019 and 2023. Corrections officials say they are investigating an additional 28 inmate deaths starting in 2023, but the cause of those deaths has yet to be determined.

Homicides are the fourth leading cause of death in Oklahoma prisons, excluding executions.

Corrections Department officials previously said the staffing shortage was not leading to violence in the prison. They attribute homicides and injuries to gang activity and contraband, and they say they are working hard to reduce them. Those efforts include revised policies and procedures, new technology, regular searches of prison cells and the separation of rival gang members, which have reduced risk and located weapons, drugs and cell phones.

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