Bill Johnson Correctional Center

A minimum-security state prison for men in Alva, in northwestern Oklahoma, with a substance-abuse and mental-health treatment mission.

Overview

Bill Johnson Correctional Center is a state prison for men operated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (Oklahoma DOC). It is in Alva, the seat of Woods County, in northwestern Oklahoma. The facility houses men in minimum custody.

The Oklahoma DOC classifies Bill Johnson Correctional Center as a minimum-security institution with a substance-abuse and mental-health treatment mission. Oklahoma DOC assigns custody level based on factors that include sentence length, time remaining, and conduct, and a person’s custody level can change during incarceration. Whether visits are contact or non-contact depends on a person’s security classification and housing unit, so families confirm the arrangement that applies to the specific person before a first visit.

What Makes Bill Johnson Correctional Center Different

Bill Johnson Correctional Center is one of the Oklahoma DOC facilities organized around a treatment mission rather than general-population housing alone. The Oklahoma DOC describes it as a substance-abuse and mental-health treatment facility for men in minimum custody, with programming that combines structured treatment and rehabilitation services. Because the facility’s program assignments and daily schedule are organized around treatment, the movement, program access, and visiting format that apply to a given person depend on that person’s classification and program status. Families confirm those details with the facility rather than assuming they are uniform across the prison. Program placement and length of stay are determined by the Oklahoma DOC, not by the facility alone.

Visiting

The statewide Oklahoma DOC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at Bill Johnson Correctional Center. The facility’s own arrangements:

Getting There and Parking

Bill Johnson Correctional Center is at 1856 E. Flynn Street in Alva, in Woods County in northwestern Oklahoma. Alva is in the north-central part of the state near the Kansas line, reached by way of US Highway 64 and US Highway 281. The drive from Oklahoma City and from Wichita, Kansas, each take roughly two and a half to three hours. The nearest larger commercial airports are in the Oklahoma City and Wichita areas.

Parking is on site. Visitors confirm current entry procedures, the visitor-processing location, and what may be brought onto the grounds with the facility before arriving, because electronic devices and personal items are not permitted inside — visitors may generally bring only identification, a car key, and coins for vending machines.

Nearby Services

Alva has limited lodging and dining, with a small range of motels, restaurants, and fuel in town and additional options in the surrounding Woods County communities. A wider selection is found in the larger Enid area to the southeast. Emergency medical care in the region is available locally in Alva, with larger hospitals in Enid and farther into the Oklahoma City and Wichita areas. Visitors traveling a long distance generally plan fuel and overnight stays in advance, because services in the immediate area are limited.

Mail

Oklahoma DOC routes incoming personal mail through an off-site digital vendor. As of September 1, 2024, letters and photos are mailed to the Securus Digital Mail Center in Dallas, where they are scanned and delivered to the inmate as a digital color image on a Securus tablet or kiosk — the original is not delivered. Inmates without device access get a free black-and-white printout. Address personal mail exactly as:

Inmate’s Full Name + ODOC Number Securus Digital Mail Center - Okla. Dept. of Corrections P.O. Box 223566 Dallas, TX 75222-3566

Illegible or incorrectly addressed mail may be returned or delayed.

Legal mail and special correspondence are not sent to the digital center — they go directly to the facility and are handled under the rules for privileged mail. Publications (magazines, newspapers, books) also go to the facility and must come directly from the publisher or an approved vendor. Packages cannot be sent to the digital mail center and must go to the facility.

Learn More

• Visiting in Oklahoma — the approved visitor list, scheduling through the Visitation Unit, dress code, and what you can bring.
• Mail in Oklahoma — how Oklahoma’s digital mail scanning works and where to send letters, legal mail, and publications.
• Phone & Video in Oklahoma — setting up calls, tablets, and video visits through Securus.
• Sending Money in Oklahoma — depositing to a trust account through JPay.
• Medical Care in Oklahoma — how health care works in Oklahoma DOC facilities.
• Transfers & Reception in Oklahoma — intake at LARC (men) and Mabel Bassett (women) and how people move between facilities.