The Woods County Inmate Population
The Woods County inmate population is split between a small local jail and a state prison located in the same county seat. The Woods County Jail is operated by the Woods County Sheriff's Office and is the county-level booking point for arrests, bond decisions, first appearances, short local sentences, and transfer holds. Charles E. "Bill" Johnson Correctional Center is different. It is an Oklahoma Department of Corrections prison for sentenced men, and it is searched through the ODOC OK Offender Lookup, not through the sheriff.
That local geography matters. A person arrested by a deputy, an Alva-area officer, a Waynoka-area officer, or another local agency may begin in the Woods County Jail. A felony defendant later sentenced to ODOC custody may leave the county jail and enter the state prison system after sentencing. ODOC says county-jail-to-DOC transfer usually takes several months before transport is scheduled, so the right lookup channel can change during the same case.
Woods County Inmate Population Statistics
High-authority Woods County jail figures come from Vera's county-level dataset and historical facility tables, not from a live sheriff-published daily count. Vera reports a Woods County Jail total jail population of 7.5 in 2023 and 7 in 2021, while 2019 shows 28 people against a 15-bed rated capacity. The Prisoners of the Census Oklahoma table separately lists Woods County Jail with 20 local beds from 12/31/2013 facility data.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Woods County Jail total jail population | 7.5 | Vera county CSV, 2023 |
| Woods County Jail total jail population | 28 | Vera county CSV, 2019 |
| Woods County Jail rated capacity | 15 | Vera county CSV, 2014-2019 |
| Alternate historical capacity listing | 20 | Prisoners of the Census Oklahoma table, 12/31/2013 data |
| Annual admissions | 119.25 | Vera county CSV, 2019 |
| Bill Johnson Correctional Center capacity | 584 | ODOC facilities page |
Woods County Inmate Population Trends
Woods County is a very small jail system, so a few bookings can create a large swing in the county inmate population. Vera shows Woods County over the 15-bed rated capacity in each listed year from 2014 through 2019. The 2021 and 2023 rows are much lower, but those are dataset figures, not a live jail counter from the sheriff.
The trend is useful for population context, not for deciding whether someone is in custody today. Current custody has to be verified through the Woods County Sheriff's Office, court records, ODOC, VINE, BOP, or ICE depending on the person's status.
| Year | Jail Population | Rated Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7.5 | Not published in row | Vera v3.1 reports a low post-pandemic county count. |
| 2021 | 7 | Not published in row | Vera row shows a 125.18 jail population rate. |
| 2019 | 28 | 15 | Vera shows 6 pretrial and 22 sentenced custody. |
| 2018 | 19 | 15 | Above Vera-rated capacity. |
| 2017 | 20 | 15 | Vera shows 15 pretrial and 5 sentenced custody. |
| 2016 | 22 | 15 | Above Vera-rated capacity. |
| 2015 | 24 | 15 | Vera shows 18 pretrial and 6 sentenced custody. |
| 2014 | 24 | 15 | Above Vera-rated capacity. |
Who Is Counted in Woods County Custody
The Woods County inmate population count can refer to different people depending on the source. Vera's county jail rows count local jail custody. ODOC facility information counts state prisoners at Bill Johnson Correctional Center. The county's small size means local pretrial, sentenced local, and hold categories should be read with care.
- Pretrial and sentenced local custody - Vera reports 6 pretrial and 22 sentenced custody in the 2019 Woods County jail row.
- Sex and race estimates - Earlier Vera rows include male, female, Black, Latinx, and White estimates, but some 2019 columns are inconsistent and should be used cautiously.
- State prison custody - Bill Johnson Correctional Center holds sentenced men in ODOC custody, mainly minimum-security treatment and program populations.
- Federal or immigration custody - No BOP prison or ICE detention center was found in Woods County, but those systems remain separate fallback searches.
Woods County Jail Capacity and Crowding
The Woods County Jail capacity record is not a single current county-published number. Vera reports 15 beds for 2014 through 2019. Prisoners of the Census lists 20 local beds using 12/31/2013 facility data. The safe reading is that public high-authority datasets put the historical Woods County Jail capacity in the 15-to-20-bed range, while the current rated capacity should be confirmed with the sheriff before publication as a live number.
Vera's 2014 through 2019 figures show the jail population above the 15-bed rated capacity in those rows. No recent official county jail construction plan, closure, consent decree, or current overcrowding finding was located in the research sweep. That is why the page treats crowding as historical dataset context, not as a present-day claim.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics 2023 jail tables give national context: local jails held 664,200 people at midyear 2023, with a national jail incarceration rate of 198 per 100,000 U.S. residents. Woods County's scale is much smaller, so state and national comparisons should not replace local custody confirmation.
Laws Governing Woods County Jail Records
Oklahoma law shapes what the public can request about the Woods County inmate population and what local detention facilities must keep in policy. The Oklahoma Open Records Act index links the public-record sections used for jail and law-enforcement records. The Oklahoma Jail Standards Act gives the inspection and policy framework for local detention facilities.
Key Statutes:
51 O.S. Section 24A.5 says Oklahoma public records are generally open unless a specific law makes them confidential.
51 O.S. Section 24A.8 requires law-enforcement agencies to make listed records available if kept, including arrestee descriptions and facts about arrests.
74 O.S. Sections 192-194 set Oklahoma jail standards, inspections, admission rules, property inventory, medical reception, correspondence, visitation, and grievance policy requirements.
Title 57 Oklahoma Statutes includes county jail capacity and transfer provisions, including sheriff notice to ODOC when a jail reaches or exceeds capacity.
Woods County State Prison Population
Bill Johnson Correctional Center is a major reason Woods County inmate population searches can be confusing. ODOC lists the Alva prison as male minimum security, with capacity for 584 inmates. ODOC says the facility focuses on substance abuse and mental health treatment for men, many serving time for drug-related offenses.
That prison population is not a Woods County Jail roster population. Sentenced state prisoners are searched through OK Offender Lookup. ODOC's static facility information gives program counts, including nearly 350 people in the Regimented Treatment Program and about 110 in the Delayed Sentencing Program, but it does not provide a daily public Woods County prison count on the page captured in the research.
The ODOC facilities page shown in the manifest is a good source for Bill Johnson details: ODOC's facilities listing identifies the prison, warden, security level, capacity, and program focus.
The screenshot connects the Woods County state-prison population to the official ODOC source, which is separate from sheriff jail records.
Search Woods County Inmate Population
No official Woods County online jail roster, inmate search portal, recent-bookings feed, or booking mugshot gallery was located during the research sweep. That finding changes the search order. Local custody confirmation starts with the Woods County Sheriff's Office and then moves to court, state, federal, immigration, and notification systems as the case facts require.
Use enough identifying detail to avoid a false match: full name, approximate age or date of birth, arrest date, arresting agency, and whether the person may have been sentenced. If the person was just arrested, intake, medical reception, fingerprinting, and property processing may still be underway.
- Call Woods County Jail or the sheriff's office at (580) 327-3434 and ask whether the person is currently held in Woods County Jail.
- For active or after-hours public-safety routing, use Woods County Dispatch at 580-327-6991 rather than casual record browsing.
- Visit or write the sheriff at 407 Government Street, Alva, OK 73717 for booking records or open-records requests.
- Search OSCN Docket Search for filed Woods County District Court criminal cases after the arrest.
- Search ODOC, VINE, BOP, or ICE when the person is sentenced, transferred, federal, or in immigration custody.
Woods County Inmate Lookup Channels
The county roster field table is unusual because no official public online Woods County roster was found. The county channel likely covers current detainees in the Woods County Jail, bond or hold status when the jail can release it, and public records available under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. It does not cover sentenced ODOC prisoners, federal inmates, ICE detainees, sealed cases, juvenile cases, or records withheld by confidentiality law.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not applicable | Not located | Not located | No official Woods County public online roster or search form was located. |
For court follow-up, OSCN lets users select Woods County District Court, then search by case number, party name, date of birth range, party type, case type, and filing date. For sentenced state custody, ODOC's locator has Search and Fugitives tabs and links to VINELink. For federal custody, BOP can search by register number or name.
Past Woods County Inmate Records
Past Woods County inmate records are not handled by a single archive found online. If the person is no longer in Woods County Jail, request historical booking information from the sheriff under the Open Records Act and check OSCN for the filed court case. Booking allegations can differ from the charges later filed by the District Attorney, so the court record is the better source for formal charge status.
Released or transferred state prisoners should be checked through ODOC. BOP covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to present and may show "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody" when the person is outside BOP control. VINE is useful for notification, but custody status and court dates should still be verified with the originating office.
Woods County Inmate Record Fields
A Woods County booking record requested from the sheriff may contain arrestee description, arrest facts, booking date and time, arresting agency, charges, bond or hold information, release status, and a booking photo if kept and releasable. Public online fields could not be inspected because no official Woods County roster was located.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Likely full legal name, subject to exact sheriff record format. |
| Booking date/time | Ask the sheriff if no public roster entry exists. |
| Mugshot / booking photo | May be requested if kept and not sealed, expunged, juvenile, investigatory, medical, or otherwise confidential. |
| Charges | Arrest or booking allegations, not always the filed DA charges. |
| Bond | Confirm with the jail or court clerk after first appearance. |
| Court date | Check OSCN or the Woods County Court Clerk after a case opens. |
| Release/status | Confirm with the sheriff or VINE because no public release tab was located. |
Woods County Jail vs State Prison
The most common Woods County inmate search error is treating the county jail and Bill Johnson Correctional Center as one system. They are separate. The sheriff handles local jail booking and public-record fallback. ODOC handles sentenced state prisoners, statewide offender records, prison visitation, prison mail, and JPay deposits.
| Woods County Jail | State Prison / ODOC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Local arrestees, pretrial detainees, short local sentences, transfer holds | Sentenced men in ODOC custody |
| Run by | Woods County Sheriff's Office | Oklahoma Department of Corrections |
| Where to look | Sheriff phone, in person, open-records request, OSCN for cases | OK Offender Lookup and ODOC facility channels |
| Local facility | Woods County Jail | Charles E. "Bill" Johnson Correctional Center |
State Federal and VINE Searches
State, federal, immigration, and notification tools cover different parts of the Woods County inmate population search. ODOC is for sentenced Oklahoma prisoners. The BOP Inmate Locator is for federal inmates from 1982 to present. The ICE Online Detainee Locator is separate from county jail, ODOC, and BOP. Oklahoma VINE provides custody and criminal-case notification where available.
The BOP locator screenshot from the manifest shows why federal searches need different identifiers, including BOP register, DCDC, FBI, or INS numbers, plus name filters.
BOP results show federal fields such as name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location, which are not Woods County jail roster fields.
Woods County Detention Facilities
Two facilities in Alva matter for Woods County inmate population research. The jail and prison are close by geography but separate in legal status, operator, population, and lookup method.
- Woods County Jail - county jail for local arrestees, pretrial detainees, short local sentences, and transfer holds.
- Charles E. "Bill" Johnson Correctional Center - ODOC state prison for sentenced men in minimum-security custody and treatment programs.
Woods County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Woods County inmate population? Vera reports a Woods County Jail total jail population of 7.5 in 2023 and 28 in 2019. Those are dataset figures, not a live sheriff count. ODOC separately lists Bill Johnson Correctional Center capacity at 584 inmates.
Is there an online Woods County jail roster? No official county-hosted jail roster, inmate search, recent-bookings feed, or mugshot gallery was located in the research sweep. Start with Woods County Sheriff's Office at (580) 327-3434, then use OSCN, ODOC, VINE, BOP, or ICE as needed.
Can a Woods County inmate be at Bill Johnson? Yes, but only if the person is in ODOC state-prison custody. Bill Johnson is not the Woods County Jail, and its residents are searched through OK Offender Lookup.
Where are court charges found after arrest? Use OSCN Docket Search and select Woods County District Court. The court case shows filed charges and docket entries, while the jail booking record shows custody intake facts.