OKLAHOMA CITY — Efforts to bring back the prison rodeo to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary will continue during the Legislature’s upcoming session.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections pursued an $8.3 million appropriation during the 2024 legislative session, but halted efforts in May and instead requested an interim study.

Senator Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, was an author of the bill last session and said he plans to file again this upcoming session to obtain funding to restart the prison rodeo in McAlester.

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“I absolutely plan to file legislation again for the prison rodeo with amended language where any additional funds made after the basic upkeep for the arena would go toward programming for inmates across the Department of Corrections,” he said in a statement. “This is a major economic opportunity for the city and state.”

Hamilton said the rodeo would help inmates learn skills for jobs in construction, equipment operation and agricultural-related fields.

He called the rodeo an “economic driver” and said it would be available to inmates who have “proven themselves and have improved their lives” while incarcerated.

“If we are a state where we want reform to the incarceration system, and make these people productive members of society, this is a perfect way to do it,” Hamilton said.

Steven Harpe, executive director of the Department of Corrections, thanked Hamilton in a statement for backing the legislation and said the agency looks forward to seeing the bill “cross the finish line this session.”

“We appreciate Governor Kevin Stitt’s enthusiasm for revitalizing the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Prison Rodeo, a beloved tradition that not only provides positive opportunities for Oklahoma’s incarcerated population but also benefits the state’s tourism industry,” he said.

The last prison rodeo was in 2009. State budget cuts, low attendance and crumbling facilities contributed to the rodeo closing.

At the interim study held in September, Harpe said the estimated revenue in the first year of the rodeo was about $1.2 million with operating costs at less than $30,000.

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