Prisoners incarcerated in an underground section of Oklahoma State Penitentiary describe the facility as a 'dungeon' where they are subjected to beatings, vermin infestations, and psychological torment due to a complete absence of natural light, according to letters obtained by the Guardian.
Life in the 'Tombs'
Tremane Wood, 46, spent 17 years in H Unit, known to inmates as 'the tombs.' In letters, he wrote: 'Down here in the tombs, there aren't any windows. It's really like living in a cave. It's dark and damp. Sometimes this place drives people mad. The hardest part is the isolation.' He added that inmates lose track of days and nights, calling it 'a real form of psychological torture that some people never come back from.'
Expert Condemns Conditions
Dr. Sondra Crosby, a public health professor at Boston University and expert in torture survivors, compared the lack of sunlight to techniques used in CIA black sites after 9/11. 'It causes disorientation and you just lose sense of yourself,' she said. 'Exposure to light is critical to wellbeing and is necessary to maintain a sense of self.'
Squalor and Violence
Prisoner Edward Sparks III wrote that mice infest the cells, crawling on food trays, and that guards kick trays through human waste. Another inmate reported going 50 days without a shower and noted that guards wear chili pepper symbols on their vests to track how many inmates they spray with mace. 'They'll just walk up to your cell door and spray you without even asking you to do something,' he wrote.
Mental Health Crisis
Randy Bauman of the ACLU of Oklahoma stated: 'The lack of access to sunlight and the outdoors exacerbates the mental health harms of solitary confinement.' He noted that prisoners are confined to concrete cells no bigger than a parking space for 22 to 24 hours per day, leading to irreparable mental damage.
History and Criticism
H Unit was completed in 1991 after prison riots in 1973. As early as 1994, Amnesty International criticized the cells for being too dark, small, and poorly ventilated. Despite this, little has changed. The unit houses up to 248 prisoners, many in solitary confinement.
Prisoner Testimonies
Wood described the northwest quad as 'a real mad house' where mentally ill inmates throw feces, demanding care. Sparks recounted witnessing an inmate attempt suicide three times after being denied mental health treatment. Both men said they became suicidal due to the lack of sunlight.
Official Response
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections called the allegations 'inaccurate,' stating that it follows all state and federal laws and addresses maintenance issues promptly. The Death Penalty Information Center said the allegations 'raise new and serious concerns about whether constitutional obligations are being met.'
Wood was transferred this month to a facility with a window in his cell. 'I do have a window now and the sun is shining, so that's a good day in my book,' he wrote. 'I won't ever be the same, but I'mma try my best.'
