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Back to HB 2951
Oklahoma Legislature· HB 2951Approved by Governor 05/07/2026

An act relating to prisons and reformatories, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1                       STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2   2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

3 HOUSE BILL 2951               By: Hardin

4

5

6                               AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to prisons and reformatories;

    amending 57 O.S. 2021, Section 95, which relates to

8   the delivery of sentenced persons; authorizing the

    transport of inmates to certain facility; amending 57

9   O.S. 2021, Sections 502, as amended by Section 2,

    Chapter 22, O.S.L. 2023, 508, and 509, as last

10  amended by Section 2, Chapter 467, O.S.L. 2025 (57

    O.S. Supp. 2025, Sections 502 and 509), which relate

11  to the Oklahoma Corrections Act of 1967; removing and

    adding correctional centers to certain defined term;

12  updating reference to certain named act; deleting

    certain salary restriction; adding correctional

13  centers to list of penal institutions maintained by

    the Department of Corrections; repealing 57 O.S.

14  2021, Section 504.7, which relates to the Kate

    Barnard Community Corrections Center; and providing

15  an effective date.

16

17

18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

19  SECTION 1.      AMENDATORY  57 O.S. 2021, Section 95, is

20 amended to read as follows:

21  Section 95. A. Any person convicted of an offense against the

22 laws of this state and sentenced to imprisonment that is not to be

23 served in a county jail shall be transported by the sheriff of the

24 county where the person is sentenced, or transported by a designated

    Req. No. 14030                                            Page 1
1 representative of the sheriff, to the Department of Corrections at

2 the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center, the Mabel Bassett

3 Correctional Center, or other location designated by the Director of

4 the Department of Corrections.

5   B. Any person convicted of an offense against the laws of this

6 state and sentenced to imprisonment that is not to be served in a

7 county jail and who is not housed in a county jail shall be

8 transported by the detention center, or transported by a designated

9 representative of the detention center, to the Department of

10 Corrections at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center, the

11 Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, or other location designated by

12 the Director of the Department of Corrections.

13  C. The sheriff shall deliver the person to the Department at

14 such center together with:

15  1. A certified copy of the judgment and sentence from the court

16 ordering such imprisonment, unless the judgment and sentence

17 previously has been sent electronically by an authorized clerk of

18 the court;

19  2. A certificate setting forth the number of days served in the

20 county jail after the pronouncement of judgment and rendering of

21 sentence for the offenses committed;

22  3. A copy of any medical, dental, or mental health records of

23 the defendant for conditions reviewed or treated while in the

24 custody of the sheriff;

    Req. No. 14030                                                Page 2
1   4. Any medication or medical or dental device prescribed for

2 the defendant while in the custody of the sheriff or for a

3 preexisting condition; and

4   5. A copy of the presentence investigation report, if a report

5 was prepared.

6   D. The Department of Corrections shall give the sheriff a

7 receipt for each person received into the custody of the Department.

8 The receipt shall be filed by the sheriff in the office of the clerk

9 of the court where the sentence was made.

10  E. The Department of Corrections shall reimburse the

11 transporting agency as follows:

12  1. Mileage from the county sheriff's office to the appropriate

13 reception center and back to the county sheriff's office; and

14  2. Hourly wage reimbursement for the transporting officer for

15 the hours of transport travel and time spent at the reception center

16 based on the transporting officer's normal hourly wage.

17 Reimbursement shall not exceed Thirty Dollars ($30.00) an hour per

18 officer. Documentation of the officer's hourly wage shall accompany

19 all reimbursement requests to the Department.

20  The Department of Corrections shall have the authority to

21 promulgate rules and forms for the reimbursement procedures provided

22 in this section.

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    Req. No. 14030                                                Page 3
1   The Department of Corrections shall submit a quarterly report to

2 the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the

3 House of Representatives Appropriations and Budget Committee.

4   SECTION 2.      AMENDATORY  57 O.S. 2021, Section 502, as

5 amended by Section 2, Chapter 22, O.S.L. 2023 (57 O.S. Supp. 2025,

6 Section 502), is amended to read as follows:

7   Section 502. As used in this title, unless the context

8 otherwise requires:

9   1. "Board" means the State Board of Corrections;

10  2. "Department" means the Department of Corrections of this

11 state;

12  3. "Director" means the Director of the Department of

13 Corrections;

14  4. "Halfway house" means a private facility for the placement

15 of inmates in a community setting for the purpose of reintegrating

16 into the community inmates who are nearing their release dates. The

17 term shall not include private prisons;

18  5. "Institutions" means the Oklahoma State Penitentiary located

19 at McAlester, Oklahoma; the Oklahoma State Reformatory located at

20 Granite, Oklahoma; the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center

21 located at Lexington, Oklahoma; the Joseph Harp Correctional Center

22 located at Lexington, Oklahoma; the Jackie Brannon Correctional

23 Center located at McAlester, Oklahoma; the Howard McLeod

24 Correctional Center located at Atoka, Oklahoma; the Mack H. Alford

    Req. No. 14030                                               Page 4
1 Correctional Center located at Stringtown, Oklahoma; the Jim E.

2 Hamilton Correctional Center located at Hodgen, Oklahoma; the Mabel

3 Bassett Correctional Center located at McLoud, Oklahoma; the R.B.

4 "Dick" Conner Correctional Center located at Hominy, Oklahoma; the

5 James Crabtree Correctional Center located at Helena, Oklahoma; the

6 Jess Dunn Correctional Center located at Taft, Oklahoma; the John

7 Lilley Correctional Center located at Boley, Oklahoma; the William

8 S. Key Correctional Center located at Fort Supply, Oklahoma; the Dr.

9 Eddie Warrior Correctional Center located at Taft, Oklahoma; the

10 Northeast Oklahoma Community Corrections Center located at Vinita,

11 Oklahoma; the Clara Waters and Kate Barnard Community Corrections

12 Centers Center located at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; the Community

13 Corrections Centers located at Lawton, Enid, Oklahoma City and Union

14 City; the Charles E. "Bill" Johnson Correctional Center, located

15 east of Alva, Oklahoma; the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center

16 located at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma the Great Plains Correctional

17 Center located at Hinton, Oklahoma; the Allen Gamble Correctional

18 Center located at Holdenville, Oklahoma; the Red Rock Correctional

19 Center located at Lawton, Oklahoma; and other facilities under the

20 jurisdiction and control of the Department of Corrections or

21 hereafter established by the Department of Corrections;

22  6. "Intermediate revocation facility" means a corrections

23 center operated by the Department of Corrections or a private

24 facility or public trust operating pursuant to contract with the

    Req. No. 14030                                                  Page 5
1 Department of Corrections which provides housing and intensive

2 programmatic services for offenders who have violated the terms or

3 conditions of probation as determined by a supervising probation

4 officer. "Intensive programmatic services" offered by the

5 Department of Corrections includes, but shall not be limited to,

6 alcohol and substance abuse counseling and treatment, mental health

7 counseling and treatment and domestic violence courses and treatment

8 programs;

9   7. "Intermediate sanctions facility" means a community

10 corrections center operated by the Department of Corrections or a

11 private facility or public trust operating pursuant to contract with

12 the Department of Corrections which provides for the housing and

13 programmatic services of offenders such as probation or parole

14 violators or community sentenced offenders placed in the facility

15 for disciplinary sanctions, work release offenders, offenders who

16 need intensive programmatic services, or offenders who have

17 demonstrated positive adjustment while in an institutional setting

18 who need additional programmatic services to enhance their reentry

19 into society upon release from a prison term; and

20  8. "Private prison contractor" means:

21  a. a nongovernmental entity or public trust which,

22           pursuant to a contract with the Department of

23           Corrections, operates an institution within the

24           Department other than a halfway house or intermediate

    Req. No. 14030                                                 Page 6
1               sanctions facility, or provides for the housing, care,

2               and control of inmates and performs other functions

3               related to these responsibilities within a minimum,

4               medium, or maximum security level facility not owned

5               by the Department but operated by the contractor, or

6   b. a nongovernmental entity or public trust which,

7               pursuant to a contract with the United States or

8               another state, provides for the housing, care, and

9               control of minimum or medium security inmates in the

10              custody of the United States or another state, and

11              performs other functions related to these

12              responsibilities other than a halfway house or

13              intermediate sanctions facility within a facility

14              owned or operated by the contractor.

15  SECTION 3.      AMENDATORY  57 O.S. 2021, Section 508, is

16 amended to read as follows:

17  Section 508. The Director, subject to the approval of the

18 Board, is hereby authorized to create divisions within the

19 Department of Corrections as he they may deem appropriate to

20 effectively manage the Department. The divisions shall be under the

21 immediate supervision and control of the Director. The Director is

22 hereby authorized to appoint Deputy Directors for the divisions of

23 the Department, who shall be exempt from the Merit System of

24 Personnel Administration Act Civil Service and Human Capital

    Req. No. 14030                                                 Page 7
1 Modernization Act, and to fix the salaries and duties thereof;

2 provided, the salary ranges of said Deputy Directors shall be set by

3 the Legislature in the Department's annual appropriation. The

4 Deputy Directors shall have at least a master's degree from an

5 accredited college or university and at least four (4) years of

6 professional level work experience in corrections; or a bachelor's

7 degree and at least five (5) years of work experience in

8 corrections. Provided, however, that for the position of Deputy

9 Director of administrative services, professional level

10 administrative experience may be substituted for work experience in

11 corrections. The provisions of this act shall not apply to those

12 presently serving as Deputy Director as herein defined.

13  SECTION 4.      AMENDATORY  57 O.S. 2021, Section 509, as last

14 amended by Section 2, Chapter 467, O.S.L. 2025 (57 O.S. Supp. 2025,

15 Section 509), is amended to read as follows:

16  Section 509. A. The Department of Corrections is authorized to

17 maintain the following facilities in this state:

18  1. Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester;

19  2. Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite;

20  3. Lexington Assessment and Reception Center in Lexington;

21  4. Jackie Brannon Correctional Center in McAlester;

22  5. Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington;

23  6. Howard McLeod Correctional Center in Atoka;

24  7. Mack H. Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown;

    Req. No. 14030                                                 Page 8
1   8. Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center in Hodgen;

2   9. Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud;

3   10. R.B. "Dick" Conner Correctional Center in Hominy;

4   11. James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena;

5   12. Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Taft;

6   13. Northeast Oklahoma Community Corrections Center in Vinita;

7   14. John Lilley Correctional Center in Boley;

8   15. Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft;

9   16. Clara Waters Community Corrections Center in Oklahoma City;

10  17. Lawton Community Corrections Center in Lawton;

11  18. Enid Community Corrections Center in Enid;

12  19. Union City Community Corrections Center in Union City;

13  20. Charles E. "Bill" Johnson Correctional Center in Alva; and

14  21. A facility purchased pursuant to the provisions of Enrolled

15 House Bill No. 2780 of the 1st Session of the 60th Oklahoma

16 Legislature Great Plains Correctional Center in Hinton;

17  22. Allen Gamble Correctional Center in Holdenville; and

18  23. Red Rock Correctional Center in Lawton.

19  B. The Department shall be the legal successor of and, except

20 as otherwise provided in the Oklahoma Corrections Act of 1967, shall

21 have the powers and duties vested by law in the Office of Management

22 and Enterprise Services in all matters relating to penal

23 institutions, heretofore or hereafter established by the Department,

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    Req. No. 14030                                              Page 9
1 which institutions and community corrections centers shall be under

2 the administrative direction and control of the Department.

3   SECTION 5.      REPEALER  57 O.S. 2021, Section 504.7, is

4 hereby repealed.

5   SECTION 6. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

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7   60-2-14030      GRS  12/17/25

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    Req. No. 14030                                             Page 10
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