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The Communications Office manages all internal and external communications related to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to educate and inform the public, media and employees. The office strives to provide timely and accurate information through the use of media relations, electronic communications and publications.

Administration and Contacts

Kay Thompson
Chief of Communications & Government Relations

Harriet Orleans
Executive Assistant

Dedra Blackwell
Legislative Analyst

Janelle Williams
Digital Content Coordinator

 

Shawna English
Legislative Liaison

Lance West
Administrator of Marketing

Toni Scheihing
Administrator of Community Outreach

All available public data on Oklahoma Department of Corrections inmates is available for download here. (Zip file DOC Offender Data 01.25.2023)

Standard database management software is required to use the material. Selecting the link below takes you to a site where several .dat and .txt files are available for download.

Your download should begin once you have selected the above link. The files, which will arrive in a zip folder, are large, so it may take time before the download finishes.

Data available to the public includes inmate names, sentences, reception dates, status, et cetera. No private information, such as health records, social security numbers, or inmate banking information, is included.

If you have any questions about the data, please contact Lisa Burlingame, Chief Administrator of Systems Quality Management, at 918-581-2465 or lisa.burlingame@doc.ok.gov.

Guidelines:

  • Media representatives wishing to interview inmates incarcerated within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) should submit a request by email to communications@doc.ok.gov.
  • All requests must include the media representative’s name and contact information, including an e-mail address and phone number. The request should also include the inmate's name, ODOC number, and interview topic.
  • Media representatives must send correspondence in the form of a written letter to the inmate requesting the interview.
  • Inmates must agree in writing prior to the interview. An agreement via phone conversation is not an acceptable agreement. The agreement must be in writing and provided to the ODOC communications office.
  • Interviews with ODOC inmates may be scheduled weekdays during business hours with the permission of the facility warden and the communications office.
  • Request for interview dates must be submitted at least one week prior to the date of the media representative’s desired visit. The media representative must provide at least three different dates and times to the communications office to avoid a scheduling conflict.

  • NO CELL PHONES
  • Media representatives will have one hour to interview an individual inmate. Interviews with multiple inmates at the same time will adhere to the same time constraints.
  • A reasonable amount of time will be allowed for camera crews to set up equipment. This set-up time is not considered part of the hour granted to the media representative.
  • All interviews will take place in a location determined by the facility.
  • Requests to interview correctional officers, wardens, or other members of the staff at the facility must be agreed upon by the individual ODOC employee.
  • No other photos or video footage may be taken in or outside the predetermined interview location unless agreed upon by the warden or communications representative present from the ODOC.
  • Crews are limited to no more than four people and two cameras. Each crew member must have a valid driver license, passport or other official form of photo identification in order to enter a unit.
  • Media representatives must declare all personal property to officers at the facility before entering. If items are deemed contraband, the items must be taken outside or thrown away.
  • The following items are allowed in the media representative’s possession: recording devices, wireless microphones, notepads, writing instruments and camera equipment.
  • All equipment will be searched upon entering the facility.
  • It is recommended media representatives arrive at the unit at least 30 minutes before the scheduled interview time.
  • Everyone entering the facility will be subjected to a pat-down security search.

  • Families, spiritual advisors, and other individuals on an inmate’s personal visitation list are not permitted to be present during media interviews. Likewise – media representatives are not able to accompany any of these individuals on personal visits.
  • Media representatives may not be listed on an inmate's visitation list if they wish to be recognized as media by the communications office.
  • A media representative who is placed on an inmate's personal visitation list is not allowed to visit that inmate as a media representative.
  • The organization affiliated with the media representative placed on the inmate’s personal visitation list are also not allowed to visit the inmate.

More detailed projects, where the organization is looking to obtain facility access, should be negotiated with the Public Information Manger.

Failure to adhere to the agency's media policies and/or guidelines may result in removal from the facility. Such failure may also jeopardize the organization’s ability to conduct future interviews at ODOC facilities.

Questions about the ODOC media policies may be directed to the communications contact listed above.

Compliance with 74 OS 3106.4


A. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections Administrative Rules are in Title 170 and can be found here.

B. Any Oklahoma Department of Corrections proposed administrative rules can be found by searching the Office of Administrative Rules register here.

C. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections operates in accordance with state statute. The following statutes directly impact our agency and its operations:
     a. Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories
     b. Title 74. State Government

D. The following statutes are useful for those interacting with our agency:
     a. Title 21. Crimes and Punishments
     b. Title 22. Criminal Procedure
     c. Title 63. Public Health and Safety
     d. Title 10A. Children and Juvenile Code

E. The Department of Corrections collects personally identifiable data, stored encrypted at rest.
     a. Data collected includes inmate information such as name, aliases, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number, Department of Corrections number, sentencing information, medical information, educational information, and financial information.
     b. This information is stored encrypted at rest.
     c. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections shares necessary inmate information with other state agencies including the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the District Courts, and the Internal Revenue Service. Information that is shared is encrypted in transit.
     d. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections provides the following inmate information available to download on its website:
          i. Inmate Profile Data including first, middle, and last name; suffix; current
          facility; last transfer date; birth date; sex; race; hair color; height; weight; and
          eye color.
          ii. Inmate Sentence Data including Department of Corrections number; sentence
          identification number; statute code; sentencing county; the date of the
          judgment and sentence; the CRF number; the term of incarceration; the term of
          probation; the description of the crime; and whether that crime is listed as
          violent in Title 57 Section 571.

 

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Last Modified on May 25, 2023
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