Oklahoma Watch: Jail reforms results differ for states
Oklahoma Watch: Detractors say Oklahoma Justice Reinvestment Initiative has had less impact on prison populations than other state's programs because of less support from leadership. BY SHAUN HITTLE •...
View ArticleGiven state policy choices regarding corrections, Tulsa sheriff's concerns...
The Oklahoman Editorial • Modified: July 12, 2013 at 6:00 pm • IN a recent television news report about the pros and cons of private prisons in Oklahoma, state Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, said the...
View ArticleKingston Penitentiary opens to tourists
KINGSTON, Ont. — Former warden Monty Bourke led about 600 people Wednesday through what, until this week, was the oldest prison in Canada and home to some of the most infamous criminals in the...
View ArticleMcAlester prison riot remembered 40 years later
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Conditions inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester were miserable 40 years ago — with overcrowding, inadequate and ineffective supervision, racial segregation and...
View ArticleOklahoma's rate of imprisonment keeps rising
Oklahoma, which has seen its prison population increase steadily over the past several decades, incarcerated 648 residents per 100,000 people in 2012, according to the study released by the bureau,...
View ArticleInmate dies at Oklahoma State Penitentiary
About 4:20 p.m., the inmate was found unresponsive in the prison's “H” Unit and pronounced dead at the prison, warden's assistant Terry Crenshaw said. BY JOHN YATES • McALESTER — An Oklahoma State...
View ArticleSWOSU Students Get Rare Tour of Oklahoma Penitentiary (Southwestern Oklahoma...
(Source: Southwestern Oklahoma State University) September 27, 2013 SWOSU student Brooke Christensen sits in the "Old Sparky" electric chair at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester with prison...
View ArticleEmpty private prisons in Oklahoma apparently will reopen
Workers are being sought for private prisons in Watonga and Hinton. BY SHAUN HITTLE • Vacant Oklahoma private prisons in Watonga and Hinton might be close to reopening. The companies that operate the...
View ArticleOklahoma Watch: Deadly 1973 prison riot engulfed 'Big Mac'
Oklahoma Watch: Although “Big Mac” riot's death toll was far short of the 39 who died in the Attica Prison riot in New York two years earlier, it gutted most of the prison and reinforced claims in a...
View ArticleOklahoma Watch: Oklahoma State Penitentiary locked in vicious circle of...
Oklahoma Watch: The decline of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester has been so steep that some state lawmakers, corrections guards and others wonder if it will become home to only Death Row...
View ArticleInmates to receive special Christmas dinner
Nearly 1,500 Oklahoma inmates at the two state prisons in McAlester will dine well Christmas Day. FROM STAFF REPORTS • McALESTER — Nearly 1,500 inmates at the two state prisons in McAlester will dine...
View ArticlePictures from the 1973 McAlester Prison Riot
By Graham Lee Brewer ; I was digging through the Oklahoman archives not too long ago looking for pictures from the 1973 McAlester Prison Riot (yeah, that’s what I do in my free time. I’m a nerd), and I...
View ArticlePics from the 1973 McAlester Prison Riot
By Graham Lee Brewer ; I was digging through the Oklahoman archives not too long ago looking for pictures from the 1973 McAlester Prison Riot (yeah, that’s what I do in my free time. I’m a nerd), and I...
View ArticleOklahoma Board of Corrections looks at expanding use of private prison beds
The Oklahoma Board of Corrections is looking at three options to deal with overcrowding at the state's prison facilities: expanding public prisons, contracting for more private-prison beds, and buying...
View ArticleOklahoma Watch: Prisoners of their own minds
Oklahoma Watch: Corrections Department drug data reveals disorders are severe for many mentally ill inmates in Oklahoma. BY CLIFTON ADCOCK and SHAUN HITTLE, Oklahoma Watch • Two times a day, seven days...
View ArticleOklahoma Watch: Many Oklahoma prisons are over capacity after inmate shift
Oklahoma Watch: The Oklahoma Corrections Department is placing many inmates in designated “temporary” beds in various common areas of prisons, such as a gymnasium or day room. BY CLIFTON ADCOCK,...
View ArticleOklahoma lawmakers shouldn't settle for status quo on corrections
The Oklahoman Editorial • Modified: January 10, 2014 at 4:16 pm • CORRECTIONS is an 11-letter word. Corrections reform is a four-letter word for many members of the Oklahoma Legislature. Consequently...
View ArticleInmates in Oklahoma shed hair and tears of joy in helping others
Twenty-two inmates at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center recently participated in the first Locks of Love project at the women's prison. By Carla Hinton Modified: August 3, 2013 at 11:22 pm • MCLOUD — A...
View ArticleOklahoma officials investigate death of prisoner beaten with food tray
The bludgeoning of an inmate at the Davis Correctional Center in Holdenville is one of two recent inmate homicides the Oklahoma Corrections Department is investigating. by Jennifer Palmer The Oklahoma...
View ArticleOklahoma prisoner receives life sentence in cellmate's death
HOLDENVILLE — A life sentence for murder has been added to the prison time required of an inmate who strangled his cellmate to death...
View Article4 inmates die in stabbing attack at Oklahoma prison
Three inmates were stabbed to death during an attack or fight at an Oklahoma prison and a fourth died of his injuries overnight, an official said Sunday. The violence erupted at around 4 p.m. Saturday...
View ArticleState's deadliest prison fight? 4 inmates killed, 3 still hospitalized after...
By Andrew Knittle By Graham Lee Brewer September 14, 2015 0 shares CUSHING — The state Corrections Department released the names of four inmates who were reportedly stabbed to death during a...
View ArticleOklahoma's notable prison riots
Sept. 12, 2015 – Four inmates died after a fight began at Cimarron Correctional Institute in Cushing. At least four additional inmates were injured. The 1988 riot at the Mack Alford Correctional Center...
View ArticlePrivate company owns Oklahoma prison where 4 inmates killed
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Current and former officials defended Oklahoma's use of privately run prisons Monday following a weekend melee at one of the facilities that left four inmates dead and several...
View ArticleDeadly disturbance at private prison involved white gangs, officials say
CUSHING — The deadly disturbance at the Cimarron Correctional Facility is being blamed on a power struggle between two white prison gangs — the Irish Mob and the United Aryan Brotherhood. Four white...
View ArticleInmate deaths in Cushing may be from Oklahoma's deadliest prison melee
CUSHING — The state Corrections Department released the names of four inmates who were reportedly stabbed to death during a “disturbance” Saturday at a sprawling private prison in this Oklahoma town...
View ArticleEffort aims to reduce solitary confinement
By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press September 9, 2015 0 shares Nearly 1,200 Oklahoma prison inmates who spend 23 hours a day locked in their cell — including some of the most dangerous offenders — soon...
View ArticleTrying something new in Oklahoma's prisons
SOME policymakers in Oklahoma are looking for ways to be “smart on crime” instead of continuing the status quo — see Gov. Mary Fallin's move, adopted by the corrections board last week, to let inmates...
View ArticleOklahoma prison chief's pilot program aims to reduce solitary confinement
Nearly 1,200 Oklahoma prison inmates who spend 23 hours a day locked in their cell — including some of the most dangerous offenders — soon could see more recreational time under new pilot program at...
View ArticlePrivate prisons prove costly in state
BY JENNIFER PALMER Staff Writer jpalmer@oklahoman.com October 18, 2015 0 shares Oklahoma's bloated incarceration system is becoming increasingly dependent on corporate prison beds. And it's costing us....
View ArticlePrivate prisons prove costly in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's bloated incarceration system is becoming increasingly dependent on corporate prison beds. And it's costing us. Private prisons cost $92.2 million last year — a 16 percent increase over the...
View ArticleJuly 28 Today's Prayer
LeadPhotoID --> 0 Sunday, July 28 You rescue us, dear Lord, from evil that lurks in wait for our spiritual lives. Amen. Show / Hide Comments If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman's...
View ArticleWeekend clash at Oklahoma prison leaves 4 dead, 4 hurt
Four inmates died of injuries sustained during an attack or fight over the weekend at an Oklahoma prison, officials said, and investigators are trying to determine what sparked the violence. The...
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