According to Dictionary.com, normal is defined as –“conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular.”
Usually, (normally?), this word has a reassuring connotation. We want normal lab results, normal pre-COVID times, and normal kids (sorry, mom and dad), but when it’s applied to the living conditions at the Oklahoma County Jail, the term is as reassuring as seeing a tri-color lightbar in your rearview mirror.
The Oklahoma County Jail is no stranger to criticism. According to an article by the Frontier, the jail has been slow to keep up with maintenance, mandates, and manpower. With an inmate annual mortality rate that was over 3x higher than the national average from 2016 to 2019, people have been raising concerns about the jail’s living conditions for years. Unfortunately, conditions seem to have worsened since the pandemic.