Oklahoma Department of Corrections

Last updated
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Oklahoma DOC.jpg
Agency overview
FormedMay 8, 1967
Preceding agency
Headquarters3400 Martin Luther King Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Employees4,341 classified
367 unclassified
Annual budget$ 500 million
Ministers responsible
Agency executives
  • Steven Harpe, Director
  • Justin Farris, Chief of Staff
  • Jason Sparks, Chief of Operations
Parent agencyOklahoma State Board of Corrections
Website Oklahoma Department of Corrections

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC or ODOC) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. DOC is responsible for the administration of the state prison system. It has its headquarters in Oklahoma City, [2] across the street from the headquarters of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. The Board of Corrections are appointees: five members are appointed by the Governor; two members are appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; and two members are appointed by the Speaker of the house of Representatives. The board is responsible for setting the policies of the Department, approving the annual budget request, and working with the Director of Corrections on material matters of the agency. T. Hastings Siegfried is the current chairman of the board. The director, who serves at the pleasure of the governor, is the chief executive of the department. The current director of Corrections is Steven Harpe, who was appointed in October 2022.

Contents

History

Prior to 1908, Oklahoma sent prisoners to the Kansas Penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas. After a disputed report on the conditions in the Kansas Penitentiary, Oklahoma opened an institution in the former federal jail in McAlester. [3]

On January 10, 1967, Oklahoma created a new state Corrections Department, consisting of a State Board of Corrections, State Director of Corrections, and three divisions: a Division of Institutions, a Division of Probation and Parole, and a Division of Inspection. [3]

In 1973, a three-day riot resulted in the destruction of most of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and the death of three inmates. [4]

In 1976, the first training academy was established in Oklahoma City. [3]

On 29 August 1983, the Dick Conner Correctional Center was hit by a riot that resulted in an inmate death. [5] On 17 December 1985 another riot occurred, this time at the McAlester prison. Five members of staff were taken hostage and three were seriously injured. [6]

On 4 November 2019, the state released more than four hundred inmates who had been convicted of nonviolent crimes. The commutations were expected to save the state over twelve million dollars. [7]

Facilities

Oklahoma State Penitentiary OklahomaStatePen (retouched).jpg
Oklahoma State Penitentiary

As of 2021, the Department of Corrections is responsible for the management, maintenance and security of 23 correctional institutions across the state. Of these facilities, only eight were built originally to serve as prisons. [8]

The execution chamber is located at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. [9]

State prisons


Community Corrections Centers

Private Prisons

Halfway Houses

Organization

Leadership

The Department of Corrections is under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.. Under current Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt, Tricia Everest is serving as the secretary. The Director of the agency is Steven Harpe.

The Department of Corrections is governed by the Board of Corrections. [11] The board consists of five members appointed by the Governor, two members each appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Each board member is assigned to one or more of the following committees: Executive, Audit/Finance, Public Policy/Affairs/Criminal Justice, or Population/Security/Private Prisons.

Stephan MooreChairman
Daniel SneadVice Chair
Rhonda BearSecretary
Randy ChandlerMember
T. Hastings SiegfriedMember
Joseph BrantleyMember
Alex GerszewskiMember
Member
Member

Internal structure

The internal structure of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is as follows: [12]

Divisions

The Department of Corrections is governed by the nine-member Board of Corrections, responsible for establishing and reviewing policies, and confirming the appointment of wardens. The director is appointed by the governor of Oklahoma. As the head of the Department of Corrections, the director supervises, directs, and controls the department.

Hiring

Oklahoma state and United States federal law both place limitations on who can be employed as a correctional officer with the Department. They include any of the following: [13]

Budget

The Department of Corrections has annual budget over $500 million. [8] That budget is derived primarily from yearly appropriations, Departmental fees and funds generated by the Prison Industries activities. [14] For Fiscal Year 2014, 88% of the Department's budget comes from yearly appropriations, 6% from the Prison Industries Fund, 4% from the Department's Revolving Fund, and 3% from all other sources.

In late 2017, the department requested more than 1.5 billion dollars, triple its usual budget to make long-delayed improvements. [8]

Fallen Employees

Since the establishment of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 22 employees have died in the line of duty. [15]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Oklahoma Department of Corrections - Board of Corrections". Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  2. ↑ "Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director's Office". Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  3. 1 2 3 "The 20th Century History" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Corrections. 2002-12-13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Botkin, Ben (26 December 2017). "Oklahoma Watch: Weighing the odds of a federal takeover of state prisons". Tulsa World.
  5. ↑ On the Other Side of the Bars: Lessons Learned As a Prison Warden/Administrator, by Dan M. Reynolds, pages 43-45
  6. ↑ "Chapter VI: Disturbances" (PDF). The 20th Century History. Oklahoma Department of Corrections. 2002-12-13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "More than 400 Oklahoma inmates to be released from prison Monday". KOCO. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 The Oklahoman Editorial Board • (3 December 2017). "Oklahoma corrections budget request sends clear message". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Death Row Archived 2009-04-29 at the Wayback Machine ." Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 2, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Oklahoma Department of Corrections secures better deal for state, will operate Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton". Department of Corrections. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  11. ↑ "Board Members". Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  12. ↑ Official Organization Chart - Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, issued 2021-02-17
  13. ↑ Correctional Security Office Job Family, Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management
  14. ↑ FY 2014 State Budget, Oklahoma Office of State Finance
  15. ↑ "In the Line of Duty Memoriam". Oklahoma.gov/doc.
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