In brief: Nation Sat, Nov 21, 2009 | Add a comment WOODWARD Hospital now Smoke free The smoke shelter at Woodward Regional Hospital no longer exists. It has been taken down because it is a reminder of the past — a time when employees at...

Inmates hurt in Oklahoma prison disturbances Sat, Nov 21, 2009 | Add a comment OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Corrections officials say several inmates were hurt after disturbances erupted at three prisons in Oklahoma. Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie says six...

Oklahoma briefs: 2 people die in invasion Tue, Nov 10, 2009 TULSA 2 people die In invasion The two people killed in a weekend home invasion were Jonathan Randall Rush, 22, of Tulsa and Michaellee Dwayne Richardson, 29, of Modesto, Calif., police said...

Trafficker re-arrested after bogus release in Lawton Fri, Nov 6, 2009 MIAMI, OK. — A drug trafficker with multiple convictions and a sentence of life in prison was re-arrested early Friday after using a fake court document to walk away from the Lawton...

Inmate who duped Oklahoma corrections officials arrested Fri, Nov 6, 2009 MIAMI – A three-time convicted drug trafficker was arrested early Friday after using a fake court document to hoodwink the Lawton Correction Facility into releasing him from prison. Richard...

Oklahoma seeks H1N1 vaccine for 15,000 inmates, guards Wed, Nov 4, 2009 | Add a comment Swine flu has hit the prison population, and now thousands of inmates are among those in Oklahoma waiting to get H1N1 vaccinations. Prison officials have requested about 15,000 H1N1 vaccine...

Two escapees caught in Wisconsin Mon, Jul 10, 2006 Two escaped Oklahoma inmates were caught early this morning in Wisconsin, following a high-speed police pursuit and ending a week on the run for the two fugitives. Benjamin Beck, 32, and...

Escapees seen in Arkansas, Wichita Thu, Jul 6, 2006 Two men who escaped from the Lexington Correctional Center late Sunday are suspected of robbing an Arkansas couple in their home, authorities said.  Benjamin Beck, 32, and...

Female incarceration rates slow Sat, Jun 3, 2006 Oklahoma continues to lead the nation in the rate of incarceration of women, but the state actually has slowed the steady stream in recent years, according to a recent study. "The Punitiveness...

Killer, 74, becomes oldest to be executed in state Fri, Jun 2, 2006 McALESTER - John Albert Boltz, 74, on Thursday became the oldest man in Oklahoma's history to be executed. Authorities executed Boltz by lethal injection after his attorney tried to win a...

Rising fuel costs strain budgets Sun, May 21, 2006 The state of Oklahoma, while benefiting from high energy prices, will pay an estimated 20 percent to 25 percent more for fuel in the upcoming fiscal year. The new fiscal year begins July 1. Those...

'Dream life' may end for couple Mon, May 1, 2006 A state prison is to open near their front porch. Sonny Hazel's morning routine is as quaint as a Norman Rockwell painting. He and his wife, Jamie Joy, drink coffee on their porch and watch...

Escapees' van found in Kansas Tue, Oct 18, 2005 A van used by two inmates during their escape from Joseph Harp Correctional Center was found this morning in Kansas, state officials said. The green 1999 Dodge Caravan used by...

Judge charged state for trips, query finds Sun, Feb 13, 2005 An appeals judge under investigation met with his former secretary's son twice in prison on trips made at court expense, The Oklahoman has learned. Judge Steve Lile saw the inmate June 24 and Sept....

Andrew to be only woman on death row Sun, Sep 19, 2004 Formal sentencing on murder conviction coming Wednesday. In a matter of days, convicted murderer Brenda Andrew will take up a unique position in Oklahoma's Corrections Department. She'll be the...

Tornado tests prisons' readiness Sun, May 18, 2003 Last week's tornadoes proved to state prison officials that the many drills and procedures they've drawn up for natural disasters can work. On May 9, tornadoes crashed through the metro area,...

Corrections center struck by tornado Sun, May 11, 2003 An already difficult financial crisis became even more difficult for the Oklahoma Corrections Department on Friday when a tornado slammed into the Clara Waters Community Corrections Center. "This...

Inmates may have helped escapees Tue, Mar 20, 2001 STRINGTOWN As the search for two escaped killers was scaled back Monday, corrections officials said other inmates at the Mack Alford Correctional Center may have helped in Friday's breakout....

Escaped killers on guard, officials say Mon, Mar 19, 2001 Two murderers who escaped Friday from Mack Alford Correctional Center are watching for law officers with the same intensity searchers are seeking the escapees, authorities said Sunday. "We think...