Keaton Ross, Oklahoma Watch

This article originally appeared in Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit news organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service.

Seven state prisoners who were locked in three-by-three foot shower stalls at the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton last August are suing the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, alleging their prolonged confinement in cramped and unsanitary conditions amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

Attorneys Richard Labarthe and Alexey Tarasov filed the lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court on April 9. A hearing date on the matter is pending. ...

This article originally appeared in Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit news organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service.

When Aberdeen Enterprizes II threatened to have her arrested over $1,200 in outstanding court fines and fees, Kendy Killman became a prisoner in her own home.

The mother of eight feared being arrested unexpectedly, so she avoided unnecessary trips to the grocery store or her children’s school. She said the third-party debt collector rejected her proposition to set up a monthly payment plan, wanting only a lump sum or nothing at all. ...