Held in the McCurtain County Jail? What Former Inmates and Families Should Know

Since Kill. Bury. Print. came out on Peacock, we have heard from people who were held in the McCurtain County jail in Idabel, and from their families. Most of them want to know the same things. Was what happened to me in there against the law? And is it too late to do anything about it?

Your claim does not depend on the documentary

A civil rights claim turns on what happened to you, not on whether your story made the news or whether anyone was charged with a crime. If a jailer used force on you when you were not a threat to anyone, if you were strapped into a restraint chair and hurt, or if you asked for medical help and nobody came, that may have violated your constitutional rights. It does not matter who was sheriff at the time.

Some of it is already on the record

Much of what went on inside that jail is no longer just one person's word against the county's. Former jail staff have pleaded guilty in federal court to civil rights crimes against people held there. Those pleas do not decide anyone else's case, and anyone charged but not convicted is presumed innocent. But they show that what people described from inside the jail can be proven.

The deadline is the biggest problem

A federal civil rights case in Oklahoma generally has to be filed within two years of the injury, and some state law claims have even shorter deadlines. Many people held in the jail during the years the documentary covers are already past two years. That does not mean every older claim is gone, and it does not mean yours is still open. The only way to know is to have a lawyer look at your dates, and the sooner the better.

What to gather before you call

• Your booking and release dates, even if they are approximate

• Names or descriptions of the jailers involved

• Copies of any grievance or sick call request you turned in

• Records from any hospital, clinic or doctor you saw after you got out

• Names of people held with you who saw what happened

• Letters, texts, photos or phone calls from that time

If you do not have any paperwork, that is normal. Most people leave jail with nothing. The jail's own records can be requested, and in a lawsuit they have to be produced.

Families can call too

If your loved one died, or cannot make the call himself, a family member can reach out for him. In a death case the claim usually belongs to the estate, and we can walk you through how that works.

The first conversation is free and confidential. Call Garrett Law at (918) 221-6190 or request a free consultation.

Related: After Kill. Bury. Print.: The McCurtain County Jail Cases; Hurt or Killed in an Oklahoma County Jail: What Families Should Know; Oklahoma civil rights attorney.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.