The Oklahoma State Reformatory is a medium-security facility with some maximum and minimum-security housing for adult male inmates.
The medium-security area accommodates 799 prisoners, minimum-security area houses roughly 200, and the maximum-security area with about 43 inmates.
The prison was established by an act of the legislature in 1909 and constructed through prison labor, housing its first inmate in 1910. The facility is well known for the significant roles women played in its foundation and governance, most notably having the first female warden administer an all-male prison in the nation. The Oklahoma State Reformatory is the second oldest prison in the state of Oklahoma.
In 1907, Kate Barnard was appointed Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. After visiting prisons in Kansas detaining Oklahoma offenders, Barnard concluded that a more civil and humane prison needed to be constructed in Oklahoma. Within two years, Barnard persuaded the legislature to authorize development of both the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and the Oklahoma State Reformatory.
The Reformatory was established by an act of the legislature in 1909. Construction began shortly thereafter, housing its first inmate in 1910. Situated adjacent to Granite Mountain (also known as "White Mountain"), the Reformatory was constructed through prison labor using the granite quarried from the mountain. A large factor in the selection of the institution's site was the prospect of employing the prison's inmates to work in the quarry for minimal wages.
No original structures in the complex remain. The oldest standing, the Oklahoma State Industries broom factory/upholstery building, was constructed in 1921. All other buildings currently in use have been constructed since 1957. In 1928, the institution had one main guard tower, dedicated to a former warden, on which stood cell houses on either side. The facility currently operates with four towers, each manned by armed officers for direct observation. The granite walls surrounding the compound of radiating cell blocks rise approximately twenty-four feet tall with a thickness of three feet at grade level and two feet at its top. Layers of razor wire extend along the top as well as inside of the wall’s interior. These wires are linked up to an Intrepid Micro-Point Intrusion Detection system, monitored by the central control room, which detects vibrations caused by cutting and/or climbing.
Famous Inmates
The Oklahoma State Reformatory was home for roughly fourteen months to one of Oklahoma's favorite citizens, Wiley Post. A native Texan, Post moved to Oklahoma to work in the prosperous oil fields in order to raise money for his own personal airplane. During 1921, he was involved in a robbery and was sentenced to ten years in the reformatory. After only serving about one tenth of his original sentence, Post was given a full pardon in December 1934. After his time at the Oklahoma State Reformatory, Post went on to be one of the first pilots to make a non-stop flight from the United States to Germany and the first to fly solo around the world, setting many record times. His life, as well as that of Oklahoma's beloved Will Rogers, ended on August 15, 1935 when his airplane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska.
In 1945, Clarence Carnes, known as “Choctaw Kid,” entered the Oklahoma State Reformatory charged with the murder of an Oklahoma service station attendant. During his time at the Reformatory, Carnes and two other men were convicted on federal kidnapping charges and were sentenced to 99 years in prison. Instead of serving his time at the Reformatory, Cranes was transferred due to his behavioral problems to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. At age 18, he was the youngest inmate ever imprisoned within its walls.
While serving his sentence in Alcatraz, Carnes was involved in an escape along with five fellow inmates and took over a section of their cell block. U.S. Marines as well as prison guards from distances as far away as Kansas were sent to retake the facility. Three of the six inmates died during the assault, and two others were executed shortly thereafter. Carnes avoided the death penalty because he did not murder officers assigned to him during the escape, and he lived until 61, dying at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.