OSCN Found Document:Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - Penalties
Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories

Oklahoma Statutes Citationized
  Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories
    Chapter 1 - General Provisions
        Section 21 - Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - Penalties
Cite as: 57 O.S. § 21 (OSCN 2026)


A. Any person who, without authority, brings into or has in his or her possession in any jail or state penal institution or other place where prisoners are located, any gun, knife, bomb or other dangerous instrument, any controlled dangerous substance as defined by the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act, any alcoholic beverage as defined by Section 1-103 of Title 37A of the Oklahoma Statutes, money or financial documents for a person other than the inmate or a spouse of the inmate, including but not limited to tax returns, shall be guilty of a Class B3 felony offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not less than one (1) year nor more than five (5) years, or by a fine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment. Provided, the provisions of this subsection shall not prohibit any Department of Corrections employee who has a valid handgun license pursuant to the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act to keep a firearm in a vehicle on any property set aside for the parking of any vehicle, whether occupied or unoccupied, at any state-owned prison facility, provided the employee has provided annual notification to the Department of Corrections of the brand name, model, serial number, and owner identification information of the firearm, and the firearm is secured and stored in a locked metal storage container located in a locked vehicle. The storage container will be secured in the vehicle by a lockable chain or cable or by utilizing hardware provided by the manufacturer.

B. If an inmate is found to be in possession of any item prohibited by this section, upon conviction, such inmate shall be guilty of a Class D1 felony offense and shall be punished by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

C. If the person found to be in possession of any item prohibited by this section has committed, prior to the commission of an offense in violation of this section, two or more felony offenses, and the possession of contraband in violation of this section is within ten (10) years of the completion of the execution of the sentence for any prior offense, such person, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not less than twenty (20) years. Felony offenses relied upon shall not have arisen out of the same transaction or occurrence or series of events closely related in time and location.

D. Any person who, without authority, brings into or has in his or her possession in any jail or state penal institution or other place where prisoners are located, cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco or any other form of tobacco product shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one (1) year, or by a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

E. Any person who knowingly, willfully and without authority brings into or has in his or her possession in any secure area of a jail or state penal institution or other secure place where prisoners are located any cellular phone or electronic device capable of sending or receiving any electronic communication shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class D1 felony offense punishable by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes, or by a fine not exceeding Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

F. Any contraband item prohibited by the provisions of this section that is seized as a result of a violation of this section may be forfeited by the agency that seized the contraband item following the procedures outlined in Section 2-506 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

G. "Electronic communication" means any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photo-electronic or photo-optical system, and includes, but is not limited to, the transfer of that communication through the Internet.

Historical Data


Laws 1955, HB 845, § 1, emerg. eff. June 1, 1955; Amended by Laws 1978, SB 441, c. 180, § 1, eff. October 1, 1978; Amended by Laws 1988, HB 1973, c. 109, § 29, eff. November 1, 1988; Amended by Laws 1992, SB 420, c. 264, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 1992; Amended by Laws 1993, SB 179, c. 48, § 1, emerg. eff. April 9, 1993; Amended by Laws 1995, SB 129, c. 274, § 48, eff. November 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 1213, c. 133, § 503 (effective date amended to July 1, 1999, by Laws 1998, 1st Extr. Sess., HB 1002, c. 2, §§ 23-26, emerg. eff. June 19, 1998) (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 1999, 1st Extr. Sess., HB 1009, c. 5, § 368, emerg. eff. July 1, 1999 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2001, HB 1394, c. 325, § 1, eff. November 1, 2001 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2008, HB 3336, c. 366, § 5, emerg. eff. June 3, 2008 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2009, SB 1064, c. 459, § 1, emerg. eff. June 2, 2009 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2012, HB 2364, c. 93, § 1, eff. November 1, 2012 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2015, SB 525, c. 226, § 2, eff. November 1, 2015 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2021, HB 1023, c. 21, § 1, eff. November 1, 2021 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2025, HB 2104, c. 486, § 95, eff. January 1, 2026 (superseded document available).

Citationizer© Summary of Documents Citing This Document
Cite Name Level
Oklahoma Attorney General's Opinions
 CiteNameLevel
 2004 OK AG 38, Question Submitted by: Director Ron J. Ward, Oklahoma Department of CorrectionsDiscussed at Length
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals Cases
 CiteNameLevel
 1989 OK CR 40, 778 P.2d 476, DEAN v. STATECited
 2013 OK CR 18, 313 P.3d 274, TATE v. STATECited
 1985 OK CR 71, 702 P.2d 59, WOOTEN v. STATEDiscussed
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Cases
 CiteNameLevel
 1987 OK CIV APP 25, 736 P.2d 171, Best v. StateCited
Oklahoma Supreme Court Cases
 CiteNameLevel
 2017 OK 24, 393 P.3d 207, STATE ex rel. OKLAHOMA BAR ASSOCIATION v. DRUMMONDCited
Oklahoma Jury Instructions- Criminal
 CiteNameLevel
 Possession of Contraband in Prison - ElementsCited
Title 10. Children
 CiteNameLevel
 10 O.S. 7302-6.3, Promulgation of Written Rules, Outline Policies and ProceduresCited
Title 21. Crimes and Punishments
 CiteNameLevel
 21 O.S. 20H, Class B3 Criminal Offenses - PunishmentCited
 21 O.S. 20N, Class D1 Criminal Offenses - PunishmentCited
 21 O.S. 1277, Unlawful Carry in Certain PlacesCited
Citationizer: Table of Authority
Cite Name Level
Oklahoma Session Laws - 2025
 CiteNameLevel
 2025 O.S.L. 486, 2025 O.S.L. 486, [HB 2104] - Classification of felony offensesCited
Title 21. Crimes and Punishments
 CiteNameLevel
 21 O.S. 20N, Class D1 Criminal Offenses - PunishmentDiscussed
Title 57. Prisons and Reformatories
 CiteNameLevel
 57 O.S. 21, Contraband, Weapons, Explosives, Drugs or Money in Penal Institutions or Jails - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Contraband, Weapons, Explosives, Drugs, or Money in Penal Institutions or Jails - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Contraband, Weapons, Explosives, Drugs, or Money in Penal Institutions or Jails - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Contraband, Weapons, Explosives, Drugs, or Money in Penal Institutions or Jails - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Contraband, Weapons, Explosives, Drugs, Money, or Tobacco in Penal Institutions or Jails - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - PenaltiesCited
 57 O.S. 21, Bringing or Possessing Contraband in Jail or Penal Institution - PenaltiesCited
Title 63. Public Health and Safety
 CiteNameLevel
 63 O.S. 2-506, Seizure of Property by Peace Officer - Notice - Filing of Verified Answer - Proceeds of SaleCited
Title 37A. Alcoholic Beverages
 CiteNameLevel
 37A O.S. 1-103, DefinitionsCited