Hi all,
I'm brand new ... am interested in why one of my relatives was in the Oklahoma Penitentiary in McAlester in the 1910 Census. His wife is already dead and his children are in a stranger/caretaker's home in Normal, Oklahoma. They were from Nebraska and I do not know what could have happened? Is there a way to get the old records?
Thanks,
Sharon Zingery

Sharon, I would be interested in how to get information also. I sent a request to the Oklahoma Dept. of Correction in OKC, but did not hear anything from them.
I am looking for information about two men that robbed the bank my father worked at and took him and another man hostage. This happened in Jan. 1929.
I will be interested in anything that you find out.
Carl

Hi,

Some of the records of inmates that were in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections were lost/or destroyed during the 1970s riot at McAlester, Oklahoma, where maximum security prisoners are housed. If the Oklahoma DOC has any records on any indiviual you are requesting they will send a copy of it to you. However, what you send them is very important. The DOC needs the name of the prisoner was received under and date of DOC reception if possible to find the records. The county they fell from may also help as well as the offense. Many offenders in the past and present use false names and this is the name they sometimes are incarcerated under. The DOC get many requests for information from citizens and other agencies. Just be patient and if they have anything, they will write you back. I am only writing about the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as other states and the Federal agencies, may have a differnet set-up with citizen requests. Good luck!

Thank you very much. I only know the name and data that was online in the 1910 Census which was his correct name. I have no way of knowing when he went in and I am trying to find out why; so, I am working almost blind ... but if I don't try, I won't get it. I'll post my results when I find it.

Sharon Z.

Carl, Do you have any newspaper articles that could help you with providing maximum info possible in your request? I have been doing a search on my relative's name periodically hoping some newspaper article will be newly digitized and I'll get lucky!!

Good luck,
Sharon

Sharon,
Yes, I do have newspaper articles of the robbery, arrest, and conviction of the robbers. The robbery happened on Jan. 3, 1929 at Asher, OK. Plez Clark was arrested on 1 april and tried and sentenced to 15 years in the state penitentiary on April 15, 1919. William Campbell was arressted in Texas on april 16, tried on May 23, 1929 and sentenced to 20 years in the state penitentiary.
Right now I don't remember if I gave the Dept. or Correction all this information or not. I just have to wait a while longer to see if I hear from them.
Carl

The McAlester Penitentiary actually has an archivist on staff. I can't recall his name, but I was in contact with him a few years ago regarding a criminal I was researching. He indicated that the "old records" which I assumed were prior to WW2 were housed in cardboard boxes and that there was really no order, rhyme, or reason to the way in which they were stored. The archivist indicated that, in his spare time, he had been sifting through the mass of files and was attempting to gain some order. You might want to address an inquiry to the penitentiary directly and put attention to the archivist on your letter.
Good luck!

I had great success in obtaining information on Glen Leroy Wright from the following:

Richard E. Greene, Manager
Offender Records Unit
OK Dept of Corrections
PO Box 11400
Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0400

My information was obtained in September 2000. He also mentioned that some records were destroyed in the riot and fire.

Hi all,

Many records at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections were destroyed in the riot during the early 1970s. However, they do still have some older records available for public view. Mr. Roberts is correct in who to get in touch with at DOC here in Oklahoma. Kansas and Arkansas DOC also have old recrods available for the public, as well as other states. Good luck!

Mike