A concerned mother texted me one Sunday morning and asked me if I had heard about the correctional officer who was stabbed at the Allen Gamble Correctional Center, in Holdenville. 

I hadn’t. 

My reporting for The Frontier found that prison staffing shortages after the former-privately operated facility have led to more violence at the prison since the state took over. 

Often, it’s people in the community who hear something, know, or worry about something that gets stories started. Our reporting puts tough questions to people in power. We sometimes have to pay to get open records and tanks of gas to cover stories. Your donations to The Frontier help make our work possible.

NewMatch supports independent, public-service journalism. Now through Dec. 31, donations to The Frontier will be matched by NewsMatch. We could earn up to $50,000 in matched donations. 

This collaborative fundraising effort and your donations will help The Frontier continue digging into stories and shedding light on hidden issues.

I joined the staff of The Frontier about a month ago to cover the Oklahoma criminal justice system and I want to thank the current and future donors who are making my work  possible. 

In my first month, I’ve already written about death row inmate Richard Glossip’s innocence claim and a hearing at the Oklahoma Capitol to examine the state’s death penalty. I also covered death row inmate Phillip Hancock’s clemency hearing at the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.

As 2023 comes to a close, thank you for donating and continuing to trust The Frontier with telling your story and providing independent, local journalism for Oklahoma.