Exploring 20 Prisons in Oklahoma: An Overview of the System

Oklahoma, like many other states in the United States, has a large prison population. With over 25,000 inmates, Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country.

The state’s prison system has faced a multitude of challenges in recent years, including issues with overcrowding, understaffing, and funding. This has led to a number of controversies and debates surrounding the efficacy of the current criminal justice system in Oklahoma.

In this article, we will explore the state of prisons in Oklahoma, their history, current conditions, and the efforts being made to address the issues faced by the state’s correctional system.

Oklahoma Prison Map

Use the Oklahoma prison map below to locate any facility. Click on the map markers to read our detailed guide of that facility.

State Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Security Levels	Inmate Capacity	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Oklahoma State Penitentiary	McAlester	Maximum	911	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Dick Conner Correctional Center	Hominy	Medium	1,196	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
James Crabtree Correctional Center	Helena	Minimum-Medium	1,352	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Joseph Harp Correctional Center	Lexington	Minimum	1,300	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Lexington Assessment and Reception Center	Lexington	Medium	870	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Mack Alford Correctional Center	Stringtown	Minimum-Medium	1,151	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Mabel Bassett Correctional Center	McLoud	Medium	1,160	Female	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
North Fork Correctional Center	Sayre	Maximum	2,200	Male	Corrections Corporation of America
Oklahoma State Reformatory	Granite	Medium	954	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Charles E. “Bill” Johnson Correctional Center	Alva	Medium	1,076	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center	Taft	Minimum	996	Female	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Howard McLeod Correctional Center	Atoka	Minimum-Medium	1,584	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Jackie Brannon Correctional Center	McAlester	Medium	1,480	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Jess Dunn Correctional Center	Taft	Minimum-Medium	1,292	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center	Hodgen	Minimum-Medium	996	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections
John H. Lilley Correctional Center	Boley	Minimum-Medium	936	Male	Oklahoma Department of Corrections

Oklahoma State Penitentiary

Oklahoma State Penitentiary (OSP) is a male maximum-security prison located in McAlester. The facility has five housing units, one of which is designated for death row inmates, two for medium-security inmates, and two for general population.

OSP is the oldest prison in Oklahoma, built in 1908. Its first structure included temporary housing for the inmates who were building the facility, the first of whom arrived in 1909. The first buildings were the West Cellhouse and Administration Building. A rotunda and East Cellhouse were built later, as well as F Cellhouse. A Special Care Unit opened in 1992.

OSP is home to some of the most dangerous criminals in the state and is known for its strict security measures.

Dick Conner Correctional Center

The Dick Conner Correctional Center (DCCC) is a medium-security prison for men located in Hominy, Oklahoma. The facility was established in 1979 and has a capacity of 1,196 inmates.

It is one of only eight state prisons in Oklahoma that was built to house inmates. The cost of building the prison was $12.8 million. The facility also has a minimum-security unit on its grounds.

The prison is named after R. B. Dick Conner, a former Oklahoma State Penitentiary Warden and Osage County Sheriff. The DCCC is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for inmates, staff, and visitors.

James Crabtree Correctional Center

James Crabtree Correctional Center, located in Helena, Oklahoma, is a medium-security state prison that can house up to 1,175 male inmates. This historic prison was built in 1904 and has served as a high school, junior college, orphanage, and training school for boys before becoming a prison in 1982.

The prison is named after former Ouachita Correctional Center Warden James Crabtree. Inmates at JCCC have access to work opportunities through correctional industries and institutional support.

The prison also offers educational opportunities, cognitive behavioral treatment, anger management, and re-entry services to help prepare inmates for life after prison.

Joseph Harp Correctional Center

Joseph Harp Correctional Center, located in Lexington, Oklahoma, is a medium-security prison for men that has been in operation since 1978. It was built on the site of a former U.S. Navy firing range from World War II.

The facility is named after Joseph Harp, who was the warden of Oklahoma State Reformatory from 1949 to 1969 and established the nation’s first fully accredited high school education program in a prison.

JHCC is home to ODOC’s male Mental Health Unit and Youthful Offender Program and can house over 1,300 inmates. The prison provides various programs and services, including education, substance abuse treatment, and vocational training to help prepare inmates for successful reentry into society.

Lexington Assessment and Reception Center

Lexington Assessment & Reception Center (LARC) and Lexington Correctional Center (LCC) are two prisons situated in Lexington, Oklahoma. LARC is the state’s intake facility for male state inmates and has a capacity of 1,462 inmates.

LCC, on the other hand, is a medium-security facility with a minimum yard and serves as a long-term incarceration facility. It has a capacity of 870 inmates. The two prisons have been in operation for several decades, with LCC opening its doors in 1971 and LARC in 1977.

The facility caters to the needs of inmates with programs such as education, vocational training, and substance abuse treatment. Lexington Assessment & Reception Center is an essential part of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and plays a crucial role in the state’s criminal justice system.

Mack Alford Correctional Center

Mack Alford Correctional Center, located in Stringtown, Oklahoma, has a rich history dating back to the 1930s. Originally established as a sub-prison of Oklahoma State Penitentiary, it served as a place to separate first-time convicts and provided work opportunities on the farm.

Over the years, the facility has had various uses including as a sexually transmitted disease hospital, a German prisoner of war camp, and a school. It returned to being a farm in 1956 before becoming a medium-security prison in 1977, named Stringtown Correctional Center.

The prison was later renamed in honor of a former warden in 1986. Today, Mack Alford Correctional Center houses over 800 inmates.

Mabel Bassett Correctional Center

The Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (MBCC) is a state-of-the-art facility located in McLoud, Oklahoma. It houses female inmates of all security levels, including minimum, medium, and maximum security inmates.

The institution serves as a reception and assessment center for all females incarcerated in Oklahoma, and it also houses women requiring specialized medical or mental health care. With a capacity of 1,139 minimum and medium security inmates and 102 inmates in assessment and reception, MBCC is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state.

The facility’s staff assess inmates over a 10-30 day period to determine their facility assignment and what program criteria they meet.

MBCC is named in honor of Mabel Bourne Bassett, who was a former Commissioner of Charities and Corrections in Oklahoma. She established standards for state juvenile and adult correctional facilities, as well as the state’s mental institutions, and also established the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.

North Fork Correctional Center

North Fork Correctional Center (NFCC) is a state prison located in Sayre, Oklahoma. Originally built in 1998 as a private prison by then-Corrections Corporation of America (now CoreCivic), the facility was designed to house up to 1,880 inmates.

In 2007, CoreCivic expanded the prison by an additional 1,080 beds. The majority of its inmates were from California. However, the facility was closed in 2015 by CoreCivic.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) then re-opened it in 2016 through a lease agreement, and it has been operating as a state prison ever since. Today, NFCC houses medium-security male inmates and offers a variety of educational and vocational programs to support inmate rehabilitation.

Oklahoma State Reformatory

Established in 1909, the Oklahoma State Reformatory (OSR) was originally built as a facility to rehabilitate younger inmates by providing them with education and trade programs. However, over time, the prison evolved into a full-fledged facility with minimum- and medium-security inmates.

In 1984, four new housing units were added, and the “old cell house” was closed in compliance with federal court mandates. In 2016, the inmates were moved to North Fork Correctional Center, and OSR became a community-level security facility.

Today, OSR is a medium-security facility with over 800 medium-level security inmates and 200 minimum-level security inmates. The 10-acre facility has none of its original buildings, and its oldest structure dates back to 1921.

OSR has a storied history, including being home to the nation’s first accredited high school in a prison and the first female warden in the United States, Clara Waters.

Charles E. “Bill” Johnson Correctional Center

The Charles E. “Bill” Johnson Correctional Center (BJCC) is a minimum-security facility in Alva, Oklahoma that primarily serves as a substance abuse/mental health treatment center for men.

With a capacity of 584 inmates, BJCC is named after Charles E. “Bill” Johnson, a state leader who played a key role in establishing facilities that specialize in rehabilitating drug offenders. Johnson helped create the Regimented Treatment Program (RTP), a 300-bed Drug Offender Work Camp that still operates at BJCC today.

The majority of BJCC’s inmates are serving time for drug-related offenses. The facility opened in 1995 and continues to provide treatment programs to help inmates overcome their addictions and prepare for reentry into society.

Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center

Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center is a minimum-security facility for women located in Taft, Oklahoma. The prison is situated on the original site of the Indian Mission School Haloche Industrial Institute, which served children under a variety of other names before becoming a prison in 1989.

The facility is named after Dr. Eddie Walter Warrior, a former business manager of the DB&O Institute, superintendent of Muskogee County Schools, and principal/superintendent of the Taft school system.

Currently, the prison houses over 900 inmates. Despite its history, the center is known for its modern facilities and programs aimed at rehabilitation and preparation for re-entry into society.

Howard McLeod Correctional Center

Howard McLeod Correctional Center (HMCC) is a minimum-security male prison located 30 miles southeast of Atoka, Oklahoma.

The facility houses nearly 700 inmates who are primarily involved in producing cattle, hay, pecans, and firewood for ODOC Agri-Services on the prison’s 5,300-acre property.

The facility was built by inmates of the Mack Alford Correctional Center (then Stringtown Correctional Center) in 1962. It was named after Howard C. McLeod, a former Oklahoma State Penitentiary warden, who was passionate about providing inmates with meaningful work. Interestingly, HMCC’s grounds have yielded fourteen dinosaur skeletons.

Jackie Brannon Correctional Center

Jackie Brannon Correctional Center (JBCC) is a minimum-security facility for men situated on a sprawling 1,506-acre property in northwest McAlester, Oklahoma. The facility was established in 1927 inside a former hospital and has since grown to include three housing units that house over 700 inmates.

Initially, JBCC served as a trusty unit of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary before becoming an independent institution in 1985. Today, JBCC is also home to Agri-Services, which operates a meat processing center, a dairy and milk processing center, an egg distribution center, a cow/calf operation, and a beef cattle operation at the facility.

The institution is named after former Oklahoma State Penitentiary Deputy Associate Warden Jackie Brannon.

Jess Dunn Correctional Center

The Jess Dunn Correctional Center is a minimum-security facility located in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, approximately 10 miles west of Muskogee. The facility houses over 1,100 male inmates and covers approximately 1,100 acres, including four dormitories and a farm.

Originally built in 1932 as a mental hospital for African-American patients, the center has served as a tuberculosis sanitarium, a juvenile girls facility, and a co-ed home. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections took over the facility in 1980 from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

It is named after Jess Dunn, a former warden of Oklahoma State Penitentiary who died during an inmate escape attempt and shootout in 1941. In 2000, a segregated housing unit was constructed with inmate labor, providing 42 additional beds.

Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center

Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center (JEHCC) is a correctional facility located in Hodgen, Oklahoma. Originally established as the Civilian Conservation Corps, the facility was later used by the U.S. Forest Service and Hodgen Job Corps.

The facility opened as a prison in 1971 under the name “Camp Hodgen” and has since been renamed several times. Today, JEHCC houses over 700 inmates and offers vocational-technical training in areas such as electrical work, welding, and construction.

In 1998, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections renamed the facility in honor of State Senator James E. Hamilton, who played a key role in acquiring the site for the state.

John H. Lilley Correctional Center

John H. Lilley Correctional Center is a minimum-security prison for men located just east of Boley on Oklahoma Highway 62. It was originally built in 1923 as a sanitarium for African-Americans suffering from tuberculosis and later served as the State Training School for Negro Boys (later the Boley State School for Boys).

After the school closed in 1983, it was given to ODOC and converted into a prison. Today, the facility houses many of the state’s elderly and physically-challenged inmates, with a capacity of over 800 inmates.

JLCC is named after the school’s first superintendent, John H. Lilley, who died in a car accident in 1933. Lilley was known for his dedication to and love for the children in his care, and he is buried next to the prison’s entrance.

Private Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Security Levels	Inmate Capacity	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Cimarron Correctional Facility	Cushing	Medium	1650	Male	CoreCivic
Davis Correctional Facility	Holdenville	Minimum-Medium	1,600	Male	CoreCivic
Lawton Correctional Facility	Lawton	Medium	2682	Male	Geo Group

Cimarron Correctional Facility

Cimarron Correctional Facility is a medium security prison located in unincorporated Payne County, Oklahoma, approximately 3 miles southwest of the city of Cushing.

This facility has been in operation since 1997 and is currently owned and operated by CoreCivic, a private company that is under contract with the United States Marshals Service.

The prison has a contracted capacity for 1650 inmates, of which 1470 are medium-security and 180 are maximum-security beds. CCA has also imported prisoners for detention here.

However, the prison has experienced some serious incidents in the past, including fights among inmates that have resulted in injuries and even deaths. The worst such incident occurred in September 2015 when four inmates were killed and three were wounded. Despite these incidents, the facility remains in operation and continues to house inmates.

Davis Correctional Facility

Davis Correctional Facility is a medium/maximum security prison for men in Holdenville, Oklahoma. With a capacity of 1600 beds, it is one of the larger prisons in the state.

The facility is operated by the Corrections Corporation of America under contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. It offers various programs to inmates, including educational and vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and religious services.

The prison also has a medical unit that provides healthcare services to inmates. Security measures are in place to ensure the safety of both inmates and staff. Overall, Davis Correctional Facility plays an important role in the criminal justice system in Oklahoma.

Lawton Correctional Facility

The Lawton Correctional Facility is a privately managed prison in Lawton, Oklahoma. Operated by the GEO Group under contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the facility opened in 1998 and has a capacity of 2682 inmates.

The prison houses men and operates at a mix of medium and maximum security levels. As a privately managed facility, the Lawton Correctional Facility provides a range of services to inmates, including educational and vocational programs, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment.

The facility is subject to regular oversight by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

Federal Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Security Levels	Inmate Capacity	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno	El Reno	Medium	1,144	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno

Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno (FCI El Reno) is a medium-security federal prison located in central Oklahoma, 30 miles west of Oklahoma City. It is exclusively for male inmates and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a division of the United States Department of Justice.

The facility has a satellite camp for minimum-security male offenders and is one of two remaining farm facilities in the BOP. FCI El Reno is designed to house 1,144 inmates and provides various programs and services to help inmates with their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

The facility’s mission is to maintain a safe and secure environment for both staff and inmates, while also providing efficient and effective correctional programs to reduce recidivism rates.

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