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Oklahoma State Penitentiary

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Oklahoma State Penitentiary (OSP)
Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
Location in Oklahoma
LocationMcAlester, Oklahoma
Coordinates34°57′16″N 95°46′59″W / 34.95444°N 95.78306°W / 34.95444; -95.78306
StatusOperational
Security classmaximum to medium
Capacity764
Population763 (as of April 10, 2017[1])
Opened1908; 116 years ago (1908)
Managed byOklahoma Department of Corrections
WardenChriste Quick[2]
Street address1301 N. West St.
ZIP Code74502-3862
CountryUSA
WebsiteOklahoma Department of Corrections - Oklahoma State Penitentiary

The Oklahoma State Penitentiary, nicknamed "Big Mac",[3] is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on 1,556 acres (6.30 km2). Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 750 male offenders,[1] the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates. They also hold many death row prisoners.

Construction and early years

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Before Oklahoma became a state in 1907, felons convicted in Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were sent to the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas. At statehood, Kate Barnard became Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. During the summer of 1908, Barnard arrived unannounced at the Kansas prison to investigate widespread complaints she had received about mistreatment of Oklahoma inmates. She took a regular tour with other visitors first, then identified herself to prison officials and asked that she be allowed to conduct an inspection of the facility. Barnard discovered systematic, widespread torture of inmates.[4]

Upon her return to Oklahoma, Barnard recommended that all Oklahoma inmates be removed from the Lansing facility and returned to the state. Governor of Oklahoma Charles N. Haskell supported Barnard's proposal, and within two months of Barnard's visit to Kansas, on October 14, 1908, two groups of 50 offenders each were sent by train to McAlester.[4] The inmates were temporarily housed in the former federal jail in the town. Under direction from Warden Robert W. Dick, they built a stockade to house themselves on a 120 acres (0.49 km2) plot northwest of McAlester, which was donated to the state by a group of McAlester citizens.[5]

The remaining Oklahoma inmates in Lansing were moved to the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth until the state could build adequate facilities to house them all. The next spring, in 1909, the Oklahoma Legislature appropriated $850,000 to build the permanent facility.

Construction began in May 1909 on a prison designed after the Leavenworth facility. The state purchased about 1,556 acres (6.30 km2) surrounding the original plot of land. Using prison labor, the West Cellhouse and Administration Building were completed first; the Rotunda and East Cellhouse came later. The steep hills and grades required more than 6,250 cubic yards (4,780 m3) of concrete and more than 2,000,000 cubic yards (1,500,000 m3) of rocks and soil to be moved for the prison's walls alone.[5] The F Cellhouse was added in 1935, and later the New Cellhouse was constructed. A shoe manufacturing plant and a tailor shop were part of the prison's inmate industry program, designed to provide work for offenders; at Lansing, prisoners were forced to work in the local mines, a practice Barnard banned. The Warden's House, across the street from the prison, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Female prisoners were sent to Kansas in territorial days also. The first females brought back from Kansas stayed in a ward near the East Gate, built in 1911, on the fourth floor of the West Cellhouse. The female population had grown to 26 by the time a separate building about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the main institution was completed in 1926.[6]

Later additions

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The Talawanda Heights Minimum Security Unit was opened outside the East Gate Area in October 1989 to house inmates who hold support jobs inside the facility. In 1992, a special care unit opened to provide mental health care to offenders, reducing the need for psychiatric hospitalization outside the prison. A medium security unit with a capacity of 140 inmates is located on G and I units to help prisoners adjust to a lower security classification.[7]

Another addition to the prison, H Unit, houses inmates under both administrative and disciplinary segregation. H Unit is also the site of Oklahoma's death row and the state's lethal injection death chamber.[7]

Escapes, riots, and lawsuits

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The first prison escape (from behind the walls) occurred on January 19, 1914. Three inmates stole a gun and killed three prison employees and retired federal judge John Robert Thomas during the escape attempt. The convicts were later killed behind a rock ledge located on a ridge overlooking a wagon road.[8][9]

1973 McAlester Prison Riot

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By 1970 Oklahoma's prison system was described by experts as "one of the most 'inefficient, archaic, and corrupt' prison systems in the county." Facilities were understaffed with improperly trained workers, raw sewage backed up into cells, and the State Penitentiary was at 219% capacity. Facilities were still racially segregated.[10] During this time, staff at the facility worked out a deal with "convict bosses" in the prison, giving them privileges in exchange for helping manage other prisoners. Bosses were in charge of assigning jobs in the prison and generally sold them. Black prisoners could only purchase menial labor positions.[11] From 1970 until July 27, 1973, the facility cataloged 19 violent deaths, 40 stabbings and 44 serious beatings. On January 22, 1973, prisoners staged a hunger strike that lasted 3 days in an attempt to draw attention to the conditions at the facility.[12] Rumors of an impending riot circulated the facility for months before the riot.[13] Other contributing factors to the riot included the increased politicization of prisoners in the early 1970s and the summer heat.[14]

On the morning of July 27, 1973, the trouble began in the mess hall when correction officers attempted to detain a man who entered drunk. When officers tried to detain him, they were overpowered by prisoners who quickly seized the PA system.[15] When McAlester News-Capitol reporter Randy Pruitt arrived sometime after 2 p.m., an inmate was on the PA system encouraging prisoners to join the "revolution" in the facility.[16] 23 people were taken hostage by approximately 1,300 inmates. Members of the 445th Military Police Company of the Oklahoma National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma City Police Department, and Tulsa Police Department were deployed to quell the riot.[13] By evening the facility was surrounded and no on was allowed in or out except for the prison chaplain, Friar Donald Brooks, and Pruitt who accompanied him.[17]

A plan to storm the facility Saturday morning may have been delayed because inmates threatened they had stockpiled gasoline and would douse and ignite officers when they entered the facility from higher floors.[18] Inmates negotiated with a delegation representing the state that included three national guardsmen, Wade Watts, Oklahoma Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Lawson, Oklahoma Director of the Department of Corrections Leo McKracken and Warden Park Anderson. Inmates initially demanded the state tell people about poor conditions at the facility, but negotiators responded the riot itself had already done that.[19] Negotiations concluded by Sunday and that afternoon reporters were allowed to tour the facility with one reportedly commenting "it's a hell of a way to get a new prison."[20] At the end of the riot, three inmates were dead, 12 buildings were burned, and 21 inmates and guards had been injured. Damage was estimated at $30 million.[21]

Battle v. Anderson

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Judge Luther Bohanon found in Battle v. Anderson that conditions at OSP unconstitutional and he later supervised the facility's reform.[20][22] The lawsuit, filed by one inmate before the riot, was changed to a class action suit after the riot. Bohannon put the Department of Correction under federal control. The last issue of the lawsuit, medical care for offenders, was settled 27 years later, in 2001.[21]

Consequent to the court's orders, four new housing units were built at OSP, and in 1984 the aging East and West Cellhouses were closed. In 1983, all female inmates were moved to Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City.[8]

Other riots

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On December 17, 1985, the inmates became disruptive, then gained control and took five employees as hostages on A and C units. Three of the hostages were seriously injured before their release the next day. The disturbance caused more than $375,000 in damage and two of the hostages were permanently disabled. After this incident, security was overhauled at the prison to reduce inmate movements, limit recreation, and institute a level-ranking system for offenders to improve safety.[12]

Death Row and executions

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Between 1915 and 2014, Oklahoma executed a total of 192 men and 3 women. 3 different methods of execution have been employed by the state. Lethal injection, which was first used on September 10, 1990, has been used 120 times. Other execution methods have included the hanging of a federal prisoner, and 82 electrocutions using the electric chair commonly referred to as "Old Sparky", a method that was last performed in 1966.[23][24]

In March 2015, Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law HB1879 providing for nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative to the primary execution method of lethal injection.[25][26] In March 2018, Attorney General Michael J. Hunter and Corrections Director Joe M. Allbaugh announced that Oklahoma would start using inert gas asphyxiation as the primary method of execution. Oklahoma Department of Corrections has had difficulty obtaining the drugs used to perform lethal injections.[27]

Prison rodeo

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Starting in 1940,[28] except for a handful of years during World War II and during the 1970s inmate uprising, OSP held a prison rodeo until 2009.[29][30] A two-day event was held in August,[31] or on Labor Day weekend[29] (accounts differ), the rodeo was a joint venture between the city of McAlester and the state Department of Corrections.[31] The McAlester Chamber of Commerce contracted with the city to coordinate and market the event, which was last held in 2009 due to a state budget shortfall starting in 2010.[31][30] Inmates from several prisons throughout the state competed. Attendance at the 12,500-seat arena was down in the 2000s from the 65,000 who routinely attended during a four-day version of the event in the 1960s. The animal-rights group PETA denounced the rodeo on grounds of animal cruelty.[29]

Female convicts began competing in 2006, leading to the documentary film, Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (2009), about the co-ed competition.[32]

As of 2021, the rodeo had still not returned, despite support from the warden and Governor Kevin Stitt. The biggest barrier remained the cost of restoring the arena.[33][34]

[edit]

The prison was mentioned in:

The facility is shown in scenes of the movie Heaven's Rain by Paul Brown and Brooks Douglass.

Notable prisoners

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Current

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Inmate Name Register Number Status Details
Robert D. Bever 748422 Serving multiple life sentences without parole.[35][36] One of the two perpetrators of the 2015 Broken Arrow murders in which Robert, and his brother, Michael Bever, stabbed to death their parents, and 3 of their siblings.[37][38][39][40]
Jacob England 690064 Serving a life sentence without parole.[41] Committed 3 murders with another man, Alvin Watts, in Tulsa in 2012.[42][43][44][45]
  • Richard Glossip (Sentenced to death in relation to the murder of Barry Van Treese by Justin Sneed.)
  • Julius Jones (Originally sentenced to death, commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.)
  • David Anthony Ware (Murder of Police Officer. Sentenced to death.)

Former

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  • C. L. Harkins – Wealthy veterinary surgeon, convicted of rape. Acquitted of three counts of murder.
  • Charles Coleman (Executed on September 10, 1990) – Convicted murderer who was the first person to be executed in Oklahoma since 1966.[46]
  • Thomas J. Grasso (Executed on March 20, 1995) – Convicted murderer who was executed for strangling an 87-year-old woman.
  • Roger Dale Stafford (Executed on July 1, 1995) – Convicted serial killer sentenced to death on Oct. 17, 1979, and spent over 15 years on death row for the 1978 Lorenz-Sirloin Stockade murders.[47]
  • Clayton Lockett (Executed on April 29, 2014) – Convicted of a 1999 murder, rape and kidnapping. Lockett's execution made headlines for the series of events that took place during his execution, resulting in the Governor ordering a review of the execution process.
  • John Marion Grant (Executed on October 28, 2021) – Convicted of a 1998 murder. His execution was the first in over six years and generated controversy.
  • Nannie Doss – Female serial killer who died of Leukemia while incarcerated in the Penitentiary.
  • Karl Myers – Murderer and suspected serial killer who was given two death sentences for the sexually-motivated murders of two women killed in 1993 and 1996. Died on December 28, 2012, from natural causes.
  • Bigler Stouffer – Murderer found guilty of shooting a schoolteacher to death in 1985. Executed on December 9, 2021.
  • James Allen Coddington – Convicted of murdering his 73-year-old friend and co-worker. Executed on August 25, 2022.
  • Phillip Dean Hancock – Convicted double killer who shot two men in 2001 at Oklahoma City. Executed on November 30, 2023.
  • Richard Norman Rojem Jr. – Convicted of the 1984 rape and murder of his stepdaughter. Executed on June 27, 2024. Rojem was the longest-serving death row inmate in Oklahoma at the time of his execution.
  • Emmanuel Littlejohn – Convicted of the 1992 murder of Kenneth Meers. Executed on September 26, 2024.
  • Kevin Ray Underwood – Convicted of the 2006 murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin. Executed on December 19, 2024.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Oklahoma Department of Corrections (10 April 2017). "Incarcerated Inmates and Community Supervision Offenders Daily Count Sheet" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Corrections. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Oklahoma State Penitentiary". Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  3. ^ Hittle, Shaun (25 July 2013). "Three Days of Mayhem: the McAlester Riot". Oklahoma Watch. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b Wise, Karen (2003-12-17). "Oklahoma Prison History". A Census Guide to Oklahoma's Poor Farms, Orphanages, Sanitariums and Institutions. Archived from the original on 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  5. ^ a b "Chapter I: The Beginning" (PDF). The 20th Century History. Oklahoma Department of Corrections. 2002-12-13. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Facility Recognition". Inside Corrections. Oklahoma Department of Corrections. September 1997. Archived from the original on 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  7. ^ a b staff (1 June 2008). "Institutions, Part1" (PDF). Inside Corrections. Oklahoma Department of Corrections. pp. 8, 9, 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b Mann, Lee (September 1996). "Oklahoma State Penitentiary From the Beginning". Inside Corrections. Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Archived from the original (reprint) on 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  9. ^ Wilson, Linda D. "THOMAS, JOHN ROBERT". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  10. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 7.
  11. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 9.
  12. ^ a b "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.
  13. ^ a b Bullard 2024, p. 13.
  14. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 6, 8.
  15. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 11.
  16. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 9-10.
  17. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 17.
  18. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 17-18.
  19. ^ Bullard 2024, p. 19.
  20. ^ a b Bullard 2024, p. 21.
  21. ^ a b Curtis, Gene (2007-07-21). "Big Mac prison riot cost lives, millions" (pdf). Tulsa World. p. A4. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  22. ^ Brooks, Les (2007). "McAlester Prison Riot". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  23. ^ "Death Row". Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  24. ^ Ortiz, Erik (3 July 2016). "City in Oklahoma Renews Fight for Old Sparky, Electric Chair Taken by State". NBC News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  25. ^ Barbara, Hoberock (18 April 2015). "Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signs bill adding nitrogen gas as state execution method". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  26. ^ An Act relating to criminal procedure; amending 22 O.S. 2011, Section 1014, which relates to the manner of inflicting punishment of death (PDF) (bill 1879). March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  27. ^ "Attorney General Hunter, Corrections Director Allbaugh Announce Inert Gas Inhalation as Primary Choice of Execution". Oklahoma Attorney General. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  28. ^ "The Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo (slideshow)". The Washington Post. September 6, 2005. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  29. ^ a b c Schwartzman, Paul (6 September 2005). "Ride 'em, Convict". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2017..
  30. ^ a b Adcock, Clifton; Hittle, Shaun (28 July 2013). "Oklahoma Watch: Oklahoma State Penitentiary locked in vicious circle of deteriorating facilities, more inmates". NewsOk. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  31. ^ a b c Stephens, Karen (1 February 2010). "Prison Rodeo Furloughed for 2010". McAlester Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2010-06-21..
  32. ^ "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (official site)". Archived from the original on 2010-10-06..
  33. ^ Beaty, James (2021-08-18). "Prison rodeo will 'take a lot of work' — but officials support its return". McAlester News-Capital. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  34. ^ "Report: Gov. Stitt wants to bring back prison rodeo in McAlester". KOCO. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  35. ^ "Bever family massacre: With plea deal, DA hopes to spare young survivors of brutal details - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  36. ^ Griffin, David. "Robert Bever Sentenced To Life Without Parole In Murders Of Family". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  37. ^ "Oklahoma Teens Formally Charged With Murdering Family". NBC News. 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  38. ^ "Brothers Robert Bever and Michael Bever charged in stabbing deaths of 5 Oklahoma family members - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  39. ^ "Judge says Oklahoma brothers can stand trial for killings". The Seattle Times. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  40. ^ Salinger, Tobias (2016-02-23). "Oklahoma teen 'laughed' while describing killing five family members as part of brothers' gruesome mass murder plan". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  41. ^ "Oklahoma killers get life in jail". The Guardian. Associated Press. 2013-12-17. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  42. ^ "Suspects Arrested In Tulsa, Okla., Shootings". Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  43. ^ "Police: 2 suspects confess in Tulsa shooting rampage". NBC News. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  44. ^ Staff, Crimesider (2012-04-13). "Jake England and Alvin Lee Watts both face three counts of first-degree murder for Tulsa shooting rampage - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  45. ^ "Pair plead guilty in Tulsa shooting rampage". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  46. ^ "Killer put to death in Okla". Standard-Speaker. September 10, 1990. p. 2. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ Thornton, Tony. "Sirloin Stockade murders timeline". NewsOk. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.

Works cited

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  • Bullard, Claudia K. (Spring 2024). "The Oklahoma National Guard and the 1973 McAlester Prison Riot". Chronicles of Oklahoma. 102 (1): 4–29.
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