A Year of Progress: ODOC’s 2024 Accomplishments

From reducing violence to fostering rehabilitation, the agency celebrates a year of innovation and community-focused achievements.

As 2024 comes to a close, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections reflects on a transformative year marked by innovation, collaboration and measurable success. From enhancing safety and rehabilitation efforts to fostering community connections, ODOC has shown its steadfast commitment to its vision of changing lives. These milestones underscore the agency’s dedication to public safety and highlight its forward-thinking approach to corrections.

This year, ODOC prioritized reducing violence, supporting incarcerated individuals and their families, and expanding opportunities for personal growth and accountability. Below are the top accomplishments that made 2024 a year to remember for ODOC and the people it serves.

Significant Reduction in Violence
New strategies, including population realignment and stricter Class X misconduct sanctions, resulted in a 14% reduction in inmate-on-inmate assaults with serious injury between fiscal years 2023 and 2024. This trend continued with a 15% reduction from July 2024 to date compared to the same period last year.

Body-worn cameras implemented statewide
After announcing a pilot program in January 2024, ODOC rolled out body-worn cameras agencywide in October after the program’s tremendous success. The cameras have positively impacted both staff and inmates and exhibit ODOC’s ongoing mission to prioritize safety, transparency and integrity within the correctional system.

Empowering inmates through surveys
The success of this year’s anonymous inmate survey is a testament to ODOC’s commitment to hearing and valuing the voices of those it serves. Participation in ODOC’s anonymous inmate survey increased by 23%, with 68% of the inmate population – over 14,000 individuals – responding. This uptick indicates increasing engagement and feedback from inmates, with nearly 5,500 inmates opting for follow-up guided conversations. Feedback gathered through these surveys is driving improvements across the agency. ODOC plans to expand its survey initiatives to gather input from various stakeholder groups, such as probationers and inmate families.

Retention rate among cadets increases
ODOC revamped its correctional cadet academy in May 2023, introducing a paramilitary-style academy emphasizing de-escalation tactics and reinforcing our mission of transforming lives through compassion and rehabilitation. Since then, 329 officers have graduated from eight academies. The retention rate among those graduates rose to 65%, up from 37%. The relaunch of the field training officer program, where cadets work in facilities before attending the academy, also contributed to this success. During 2024, 253 officers were hired, with an 84% retention rate.

ODOC updates mission to showcase commitment to rehabilitation and public safety
With input from staff at all levels, ODOC developed a new mission statement emphasizing compassion and rehabilitation. The updated mission guides agency operations and reflects a commitment to reducing recidivism and building safer communities. It aligns with the agency’s vision statement, We Change Lives!, announced in early 2023, with a renewed dedication to safety, rehabilitation and the positive transformation of lives for a stronger Oklahoma.

Digital mail platform enhances safety and security
In September, ODOC introduced a digital mail system to prevent illegal substances from entering facilities via mail. This initiative was made to help mitigate overdoses and drug-related deaths.

ICON digitizes certain daily duties
The Inmate and Community Offender Network (ICON) officially launched in June. With this, certain operational functions were digitized, such as inmate count reconciliation and incident reports, moving the processes from the outdated use of paper, creating efficiencies in operations while reducing the agency’s paper footprint and saving taxpayers’ dollars.

Medication-assisted treatment program launches through collaboration with ODMHSAS
ODOC officially launched its medication-assisted treatment reentry program in mid-December. The program’s launch comes through collaboration with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which guided ODOC’s incorporation of medication into its substance abuse treatment program design. This partnership was recently recognized nationally. The MAT program is funded through a Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Residential Substance Abuse Treatment grant and provides critical support for individuals battling substance use disorders.

ODOC partners with other Oklahoma agencies
2024 has been a successful year for ODOC partnerships with other state agencies, aligning with its mission to build a stronger Oklahoma. The partnerships have helped with the inmates’ rehabilitation, helped connect inmates with their families while incarcerated, and helped connect them with resources as returning citizens.

ODOC partnered with:

• Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth to facilitate the Department of Justice Second Chance Act Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children grant. This grant provides resources to improve services for incarcerated parents and their children by developing strategies that foster positive family engagement.
• Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the ODMHSAS to represent Oklahoma at the Medicaid and Corrections Policy Academy. This initiative brings Oklahoma and five other states together to develop a shared vision for improving reentry services.
• Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services to provide books, textbooks and other instructional materials free to Oklahoma’s blind and visually impaired children through The AIM Center at the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Inmates in the literary Braille transcription program at the Oklahoma State Reformatory will receive certification from the Library of Congress once completing the program.

Looking toward 2025

Executive Director Steven Harpe continues to push ODOC to be a leader in the corrections field.

“We’ve accomplished so much during 2024 by thinking outside the box to innovate the agency and our processes,” stated Director Harpe. “I look forward to the incredible initiatives our staff will launch in 2025.”

Planned initiatives for 2025 include:

• Deploying Axon Fusus technology in conjunction with body-worn cameras.
  • Enables real-time streaming of incidents, centralizes monitoring, and enhances situational awareness to improve operational efficiency and create a safer environment for inmates and staff.
• Taking over operations at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility.
• Expanding programming and educational opportunities through technology upgrades.
• Leveraging artificial intelligence to increase operational efficiencies.
• Requesting proposals from outside vendors to improve efficiencies.
  • Pharmaceutical services to speed up medication dispensing and alleviate the duty from current medical staff.
  • Food services to mitigate waste and provide higher quality and more nutritious meals.
  • Canteen delivery to a bag-and-drop system to eliminate the outdated brick-and-mortar window operation, reducing the need for warehouse and storage space.
• Improving inmate access to essential forms, such as sick calls and grievances, through their tablets.
• Enhancing officer safety and reducing the likelihood of incidents by providing an additional non-lethal option in high-risk situations.
• Cultivating partnerships with community providers for telehealth services, reducing the number of medical transports required for doctor visits.

Through hard work and dedication, ODOC continues to strive for excellence in corrections, transforming lives while protecting public safety, reducing recidivism, and building a stronger Oklahoma.