Comanche County Jail Overcrowding: DA Says New Facility Is the Only Real Fix

The Comanche County Detention Center has been over capacity nearly every day for two decades, and the numbers keep growing. As of Sept. 17, the jail held 308 inmates against a reduced capacity of 240 to 260. Because there’s no room locally, inmates get transported to neighboring jails, at $42 to $56 per person per day, with round trips of 94 to 162 miles and two deputies assigned to every transport. That’s a lot of taxpayer money moving down the highway.

District Attorney Kyle Cabelka is pushing back on the idea that less arresting and less prosecuting would solve the problem. He argues the jail population is dominated by serious and repeat offenders, and that releasing them returns“victimizing behavior back into our neighborhoods, homes, and local businesses.”In his view,“the only real solution is to build some type of new facility,”and he supports a dedicated sales tax to fund it.

County commissioners voted unanimously on Sept. 21 to hire bond counsel, Public Finance Law Group, as a feasibility study continues. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s Jail Standards Act, signed in April 2025, requires 40 square feet for the first inmate and 20 more per additional inmate, a standard that raises questions for an aging facility. A levy vote hasn’t been scheduled yet, but the groundwork is being laid.

Would you support a dedicated sales tax to build a new jail? Let us know in the comments.