The Oklahoma State Prison System

In Oklahoma, when a criminal is convicted of a crime, and the state court pronounces judgment, the individual may be sentenced to prison. The Oklahoma State Prison System constitutes facilities concerned with retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation of offenders convicted of breaking state criminal laws. Offenders are forcibly detained in these facilities as a means to ensure that they pay their debts to society while they are rehabilitated to prevent future crime. The system constitutes prisons, jails, and youth correctional facilities managed by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC).

What is the Difference Between Jail and Prison in Oklahoma?

Jails in Oklahoma are secure facilities that house offenders who are,

• Awaiting transfer to another facility
• Convicted of a misdemeanor criminal offense and are serving a sentence of 1 year or less
• Arrested and are unable to post bail
• Being held before a trial or sentencing.

The jails in the state are managed by the local government, including the county or city sheriff. In contrast, all state prisons in Oklahoma are under the state government’s purview, under the directive of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Just like the county and city jails, the state prison facilities are secure. However, they are designed for long-term sentences of 1 year or more. Therefore, offenders convicted of serious felonies are usually the inhabitants of these facilities.

How Many Prisons are in Oklahoma?

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections manages and oversees 36 correctional institutes, namely:

• Charles E. Johnson Correctional facility
• Dick Conner Correctional facility
• Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional facility
• Howard McLeod Correctional facility
• Jackie Brannon Correctional facility
• James Crabtree Correctional facility
• Jess Dunn Correctional facility
• Jim E. Hamilton Correctional facility
• John Lilley Correctional facility
• Joseph Harp Correctional facility
• Lexington Assessment and Reception facility
• Mabel Bassett Correctional facility
• Mack Alford Correctional facility
• North Fork Correctional Facility
• Northeast Oklahoma Correctional facility
• North Fork Correctional facility
• Oklahoma State Penitentiary
• William S. Key Correctional facility
• Clara Waters Community Corrections facility
• Enid Community Corrections facility
• Kate Barnard Community Corrections facility
• Lawton Community Corrections facility
• Oklahoma City Community Corrections facility
• Union City Community Corrections facility

• Cimarron Correctional Facility
• Caver Transitional facility
• Davis Correctional facility
• Diamondback Correctional Facility
• Lawton Correctional Facility
• North Fork Correctional Facility
• Oklahoma City Transitional facility
• Tulsa Transitional facility
• Tulsa Women’s Residential Program
• Turley Residential facility

How do I search for an Inmate in Oklahoma State Prison?

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections(DOC) manages information about inmates incarcerated in an Oklahoma State Prison, county jails, and correctional centers. Interested individuals looking for inmates in the state prison system can visit the department’s home page and use the inmate offender lookup feature. Users can search the department’s database using the offender’s DOC number, their full names, and birth date. Typically, results from the inquiries on this website may include:

• Offender’s personal information such as full name, date of birth, and gender
• Photograph
• Facility of incarceration
• Inmate registration number
• Custody status
• Reception date

Also, inmate records can be procured by contacting the administrative department of the Oklahoma DOC directly at:

Physical Address

3400 Martin Luther King Avenue

Oklahoma City,

OK 73111–4298

Phone:(405) 425–2500

Fax:(405) 425–2578

Mailing Address

PO Box 11400

Oklahoma City,

OK 73136–0400

Also, by requesting an offender’s Oklahoma criminal records, an inquirer may locate the offender’s inmate records. In addition to obtaining these records online through the Criminal History Information Request Portal, the information is accessible through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s repository.

Alternatively, records are obtainable by filling out a criminal history request form and submitting it to the bureau in-person, by mail, or by fax.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation

6600 N. Harvey

Oklahoma City, OK 73116

Fax: (405) 879–2503

Are Incarceration Records Public in Oklahoma?

Incarceration records in Oklahoma are part of the public records generated by government agencies in the state. Hence, according to the state public records law, these records are open and accessible to the public. The law mandates that it is within a citizen’s rights to obtain and review the records on request. However, on some occasions, the documents may be protected from public view, especially when the court orders them to be sealed.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple records. To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

How to Look Up Jail Records in Oklahoma?

County and city jail facilities usually maintain records of inmates incarcerated within them, and these records are public records. Usually, the sheriff’s office that manages these jails maintains an online roster and databases with all inmates’ information in these facilities. These databases reveal general information, such as inmate locational information, custody status, etc. On occasions where the county does not provide an online web-service, inquirers can contact the sheriff’s office directly for more details. Depending on the county, the information may come with a small fee.

Can Jail Records be Expunged in Oklahoma?

Yes, according to Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes, individual jail records can be expunged in Oklahoma by petitioning the District Court in the county or city where the arrest was made. Expungements allow individuals to seal their court or arrest records to prevent the public from accessing the information. However, any offender seeking expungement must first qualify for the process before filing the petition in court.

The State of Oklahoma eases expungement processes for concerned individuals in the state through the amendments to Section 18 of the expungement statutes. Under this section, offenders can expunge their entire arrest records, misdemeanor convictions and, non-violent felony offense convictions. However, the petitioner seeking expungement must be eligible for this process. Eligible individuals must fall under any of these categories:

• Must not be convicted of a violent felony
• Must be acquitted with the conviction reversed or dismissed in an appellate court
• Must have received a full pardon by the State Governor
• Was under eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the offense and thereby received a full pardon.
• Must have no pending misdemeanor or felony charges
• Must have cleared all court-imposed fines, probation, and other sentences
• Must have fulfilled the required waiting time for the offense before filing the petition
• Must have completed probation or had a delayed sentence that is eligible for expungement. (Section 991(C))

When all these conditions are met, the individual may file the petition at the court clerk’s office in the county where the charges were initially filed. The petition must be served on the district attorney, the arresting agency, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Eventually, the court will give a hearing date where it will determine if the individual meets all legal requirements. It will also decide if expunging the records protects the individual’s privacy which outweighs the public interest in keeping the records open.