Oklahoma Department of Corrections
“I think you’re going to see [AI use] significantly increase in the next 12 to 18 months," he said. "This world between now and then — we’re on the front edge of this."
Getting ahead of the curve and moving into a new way of working means enabling AI tools that enhance safety and security, deter violence, find and reduce contraband, and monitor human movement. One way to give back time to staff could be deploying drones for yard and perimeter monitoring that helps ensure uneventful outdoor time or shows who might be approaching the yard for a contraband drop.
Harpe also emphasized the need to streamline head counts using AI.
“Counts [are] the most important thing we do, but it’s also … the most time-intensive. We do a count 11 times a day, and it costs the state about $64 million a year just to count inmates in the 23 prisons we have,” Harpe said. “Imagine if we were able to still count — not use officers — and do that through the technology, through our body cams and our mounted cameras.”
This, he said, would allow officers to focus on security functions such as contraband control and cell searches, and give them more time to take on mental health support and de-escalation. There are 3,600 ODOC employees and 46,000 people in custody, on probation or parole.
Harpe said correctional officers often serve as a stabilizing force for inmates in moments of crisis by de-escalating, listening and supporting people in deeply vulnerable states. “I want more of those interactions,” he said, “not just counting bodies.”
Telephone call monitoring is another thing Harpe said is time-intensive. ODOC is piloting Leo Technologies for cellphone, tablet and social media monitoring. One of its platforms looks for key words and communications that may indicate drug smuggling, suicidal ideation and violent crimes, among other red flags. The Florida Department of Corrections spent $2.5 million in 2023 to pilot Leo's AI call monitoring and transcription.
He noted that privacy and responsible use must guide all AI deployments, but added that the correctional environment tends to be more structured and contained than public policing, which changes how risks and expectations are managed.
On the administrative side, the agency is using AI to improve the Oklahoma Correctional Industries (OCI) business environment. OCI is the program that puts inmates to work making products and providing services around the state, including in farms, ranches and oil fields. The system looks at invoices and processes and ways to improve them. Harpe said that OCI can do more; the agency has a $100 million income target but is only at about $13 million. “We’ve got a way to go.”
Beyond program improvements, Harpe’s career in technology leadership informs his approach to modernizing corrections operations. He worked in the private technology sector before joining state government six years ago. He was director of the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which oversees state IT, from January 2020 to late 2022 before moving to ODOC. He has been on the American Correctional Association (ACA) board of governors since 2024 and said ACA leads on policy and accreditation and is at the forefront of technology.
“The future is artificial intelligence. Using AI is not about replacing people; it’s about empowering them,” Harpe said in a recent statement. “In corrections, AI tools will help us enhance security, streamline operations and make real-time data-driven decisions to ensure that we transform lives in a safe environment.”
