Oklahoma halfway house contract canceled after inmate death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Oklahoma Department of Correction has ended its contract with the operator of an Oklahoma City halfway house after officials say lax oversight led to an inmate's death.
Department Director Joe Allbaugh said Monday that Catalyst Behavioral Services did not "conduct necessary functions effectively," including allowing inmates to come and go without accountability.
Allbaugh says inmate Justin Sullivan left the facility Nov. 11 and was not noticed missing until after Ardmore police found his and a woman's burned bodies in a charred vehicle.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A phone call to the halfway house was not answered.
Department spokesman Matt Elliott said about 100 inmates are being removed from the halfway house. The inmates are near the end of their sentences for nonviolent crimes and were sent there to help transition back into society.