Oklahoma lawmakers propose $312 million to buy last private prison

Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a plan to spend $312 million from the 2026 state budget to purchase the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, the last privately operated prison in the state.

The move comes after The GEO Group, which currently runs the facility, announced last year it would not renew its contract. The prison houses around 2,300 inmates, and officials say the loss of the facility could lead to a return of overcrowded conditions that plagued the state’s prison system two decades ago.

“The alternative is we go back to what we were 20 years ago,” said Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton. “You had 138% capacity in your prison systems. You put a bunch of cots in dormitories and gymnasiums and start stacking people on top of each other.”

State leaders have negotiated a short-term contract extension to maintain operations at the facility while the budget is finalized. A final decision on whether to purchase the prison is expected by next week.

Related: Lawton Correctional Center Risks Closure Unless Agreement Made With State

If approved, the acquisition would transition the Lawton facility from private to state control, ending private prison operations in Oklahoma.