Contract lets Lawton prison operate and to become state-run facility next year

TAFT — With an agreement between the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and The Geo Group, owners of the Lawton Correction Facility, the private prison will continue operations and convert to a state-run facility by next summer.

The Oklahoma Board of Corrections held its regular meeting Tuesday at the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft. During the meeting, terms were accepted on a contract signed Tuesday for a new one-year contract, effective July 1.

Director Steven Harpe said efforts will begin immediately to convert the prison, 8607 SE Flower Mound Road, to a state-run facility by the summer of 2025, said Kay Thompson, ODOC public relations chief. The efforts are expected to tone down violence at the last privately-operated prison in Oklahoma, one the ODOC has called “the most violent prison in Oklahoma.”

“Over the next 12 months, the employees will become state employees,” she said. “The director recognizes that violence has to be reduced to serve the inmates better and make sure they are safer.”

As part of the agreement, ODOC will reduce the number of inmates housed at Lawton Correctional Facility. With the population reduction, GEO has pledged to actively work to reduce violence, provide more access to programs, and grant more out-of-cell time for the inmates, according to Thompson.

“This does not mean the facility will return to the status quo,” Harpe stated. “We are putting more procedures in place to ensure safety for our incarcerated population.”

Last week, The GEO Group sent a letter that it was discontinuing negotiations for a contract for the prison following Gov. Kevin Stitt’s veto of a $3 million increase to the prison’s $48 million budget. There had been the potential the inmates at the facility were going to be moved over the next three months to other state prisons if the contract renewal hadn’t happened.

The facility houses 2,616 inmates, including the state’s only protective custody unit. It has over 400 employees. 

The Great Plains facility in Hinton in Caddo County, the second state prison operated by the GEO Group, was turned over to the state-run operations earlier this year. The two facilities, combined, house 4,000 high-security inmates.

George Zoley, GEO’s executive chairman, stated the effort, one he called collaborative with the State of Oklahoma as well as Harpe and his senior team, will see a reduction of the inmate population to 2,388 inmate in an effort to significantly enhance GEO’s ability to address and manage inmate incidents.

“We are mindful of the responsibility we are undertaking, and we pledge to Governor Kevin Stitt and Director Harpe that we are fully committed to ensuring the facility is operated in accordance with the State’s high standards and the terms of our contract going forward,” he stated.

Strategic legislative partners helped the state agency and GEO reach an agreement, Thompson said.

Zoley offered gratitude to District 63 State Rep. Trey Caldwell, Vice Chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, of Lawton, for his “unwavering efforts” in making the agreement happen.

“His invaluable assistance was instrumental in helping us reach an agreement with the State on the continued operation of the Lawton facility for the coming year,” stated Zoley.

ODOC and GEO are confident in the renewed partnership and will continue to emphasize enhanced protection and operational measures, Thompson said.

“This continuation marks a strategic step forward in fostering a secure and safe environment while upholding the principles of rehabilitation and changing lives,” she said.

“The Board of Correction approval allows the contract to move forward in the process to be approved by the Attorney General’s office and executed by ODOC,” she said.