Enid halfway house contract ending; inmates to be moved

ENID, Okla. — A halfway house in Enid contracted by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections will soon close its doors.

On June 17, Catalyst Behavioral Services representatives informed ODOC they will terminate their contract to operate the halfway house.

The halfway house, an ODOC contractor since 2011, is home to 86 female inmates nearing release. ODOC will move the women to other state facilities by mid-July when the contract ends.

“Enid was a great location for the women to prepare for their release from incarceration,” said Scott Crow, ODOC interim director. “The community, especially the business community, was very welcoming and stepped up to help these women successfully transition. We cannot thank the city of Enid enough for its support.”

In April, ODOC had moved female inmates from Turley Residential Center in Tulsa to the Enid halfway house after the agency ended a contract with CoreCivic, which operated the Tulsa site.

Demand has been declining for halfway house beds since May 2018 when a state law passed expanding eligibility for electronic monitoring/global positioning.

GPS supervision is frequently a better alternative for nonviolent inmates to complete sentences under supervision while gaining work experience, family time, access to services and other necessities.

Other reforms on the horizon are expected to further decrease that demand, including administrative parole and making State Question 780 retroactive.