Kay County Detention Center

State charges get their bond figure from a District Court judge, whose courtroom is inside the courthouse at 201 S. Main St., Newkirk, OK 74647. The Court Clerk's line is 580-362-3350, staffed weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and again 12:45 to 4:30 p.m. Okla. Const. art. VII § 8 seats an associate district judge in every county, and district and special judges sit here too.

No statewide clock sets the hour of that first hearing. Jail staff can say when it is on the calendar. Repeat DUI cases follow a stricter path. Anyone booked on a DUI that is not their first stays put, thanks to a rule that started November 1, 2025. Release waits for a judge, who must grant bail and give written reasons for the figure (HB 1222).

Tickets from Ponca City, Blackwell or Tonkawa officers mostly go to that city's own court, and the city fixes the bond. Unsure which court owns the charge? The jail can tell you at 580-362-3393.

Each choice below is a pledge that the accused will be back for court. Oklahoma offers these:

• Cash bond. The whole bail amount is paid in money to an official with power to take it. The accused or a relative can pay. Release follows (59 O.S. § 1323).
• Surety bond. You pay a premium, and a bondsman holding a state license guarantees the full amount.
• Property bond. Real estate with enough value backs the bond. Whoever files the paperwork pays its filing fees (59 O.S. § 1331).
• Own recognizance. The accused signs a pledge and puts up no money. Oklahoma covers these pledges and how they are collected after a no-show (22 O.S. § 1108.1).
• Conditions. A judge can tack on rules, like no contact with a certain person. The bail-setting law also mentions electronic monitoring (22 O.S. § 1105.2).

State law sorts bondsmen into four types: surety, professional, property and cash (59 O.S. § 1301). Families mostly hire the surety kind.

The judge prices bond charge by charge, and the state Constitution forbids excessive bail (art. II § 9). Certain charges carry extra rules about timing or the chance of release at all:

• City offenses. Blackwell shares its bond schedule on the Blackwell Municipal Court page. Ponca City and Tonkawa each set bond on their own city cases.
• Repeat DUI. A judge has to sign off on the bond in writing before any release (HB 1222).
• Felony DUI, a third or later arrest. Bail can be denied outright since late 2025 (SB 981).
• A new violent arrest while bonded out on an old one. The starting presumption is no release before trial (HB 3782, 2024).
• Capital, violent and life-term crimes, plus certain repeat felonies and serious drug charges. After a hearing, a judge is allowed to say no to bail (Okla. Const. art. II § 8).
• A hold placed by some other Oklahoma county or town. You can post that bond with the place that set it, which lifts the hold (HB 1991).

To hear the actual figure, phone the Court Clerk at 580-362-3350 with the person's name, or the jail at 580-362-3393.

The detention center shares its 1101 W Dry Road, Newkirk, OK 74647 address with the Sheriff's Office. Payment habits differ from jail to jail, so walk through this list:

1. Dial the jail at 580-362-3393. If it rings out, switch to the Sheriff's main number, 580-362-3250.
2. Spell the legal name letter by letter and add the birth date. Request a figure for every charge and the grand total.
3. Find out whether money goes to the jail or the Court Clerk's counter, and what kinds of payment work there.
4. Ask if this is a case where release must wait for a judge, such as a repeat DUI.
5. Carry photo ID and the exact amount owed. Keep the paper receipt safe until the case is closed.

Oklahoma bars jailers and police officers from acting as bondsmen (59 O.S. § 1315), so staff can't write one for you.

Several do, mostly for city charges. Hours and rules differ at each stop:

• Tonkawa Police Department, 110 E. NOC Drive, Tonkawa, OK 74653, 580-628-2516. Bonding someone out on a Tonkawa city charge after the court office closes happens here. Officers take money orders, cashier's checks, credit cards or cash that matches the bond to the penny.
• Tonkawa Municipal Court, 117 S. 7th Street, Tonkawa, OK 74653, 580-308-6125. Open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to noon.
• Ponca City Municipal Court, City Central, 400 E. Central, Suite 302, Ponca City, OK 74601, 580-767-0382. Staff work Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Only Ponca City cases are handled.
• Blackwell Municipal Court, City Hall, 221 W. Blackwell Ave., Blackwell, OK 74631. For a Blackwell case, ring Blackwell police first at 580-363-5490.
• Court Clerk for state charges, 201 S. Main St., Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-3350. Ask whether the clerk will accept a cash bond on the case.

Phone ahead of the drive. Learn the amount owed, the payment the counter accepts and how fast release follows.

For fines, fees and costs, the Court Clerk accepts cash, money orders and cashier's checks, plus credit or debit cards over the phone or online. Personal checks get turned away. Online payment runs through Oklahoma District Court Records. Since those rules are written for fines, ask the clerk if they apply to a bond too.

The three city courts take online or mailed payments on tickets. These tools need a citation or case number and are not built for bonding out someone in custody:

• Ponca City Municipal Court payments
• Blackwell Municipal Court payments
• Tonkawa accepts a mailed money order or cashier's check payable to "Tonkawa Municipal Court," sent to 113 S. 7th St., Tonkawa, OK 74653.

For bond at the jail, ask staff at 580-362-3393 what they accept before heading out. Don't mail cash, ever.

Bail bondsmen answer to the Oklahoma Insurance Department, and working without its license is against the law (59 O.S. § 1303). Some points worth knowing before you sign:

• Each court clerk keeps a sign-up list, and a bondsman must be on it before backing a bond in that court (59 O.S. § 1320).
• Look for the premium printed on the bond. Your receipt should carry a serial number of its own (59 O.S. § 1316).
• The fee counts as earned only once your person is out. If release never comes, the bondsman owes back the fee and any collateral, quickly (59 O.S. § 1327).
• Under certain conditions, the bondsman can return the accused to custody and still keep the fee.
• No set percentage is fixed by state law, so get the price on paper.
• Hunting for customers around jails or courtrooms can cost a bondsman the license (59 O.S. § 1310).

Look up any license with the state's bail bondsman licensee lookup, and report trouble on the Insurance Department complaint form. Questions can also go to its bail bond staff at 400 NE 50th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-521-6610.

Yes. Each bond covers one case and nothing else. Watch for these:

• A hold from elsewhere. Starting November 2025, someone held here for a different Oklahoma county or town may post that place's bond and clear it (HB 1991).
• Separate cases. A Ponca City ticket and a state charge each need a bond.
• Probation or parole. The officer may ask for a hold. State supervision belongs to the Department of Corrections, 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-425-2500.
• Repeat DUI. Money alone won't do it. The judge acts first.
• Federal charges or immigration. A state bond leaves both of those in place.

Ask jail staff at 580-362-3393 to list each hold and each charge out loud. Do that first, then pay.

Under the Oklahoma Constitution, bail is the rule. Refusal is allowed only for these charges (Okla. Const. art. II § 8):

• Crimes that can carry the death penalty, if guilt looks clear
• Crimes of violence
• Offenses that can bring a life term
• A felony, if the record already shows two felony convictions or more, tied to unrelated events
• Drug offenses whose maximum is at least 10 years

Outside the capital group, the judge must also see strong proof and conclude that no mix of bond conditions could keep the public, or a named person, safe. Lawmakers put third-time felony DUI on the list in 2025 (SB 981). A crime victim gets a say at any release hearing as well (Okla. Const. art. II § 34).

The prosecutor pushing for a large bond, or none, is the District 8 District Attorney, serving Kay and Noble counties. Its office here is at 201 S. Main, Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-2571.

A figure the family can't reach is not final. The judge can look at it again:

1. The defense lawyer files a motion asking for a lower bond or easier terms.
2. Bring proof the person belongs here: a job, a lease or deed, family close by and an honest budget. Excessive bail is barred (Okla. Const. art. II § 9).
3. Suggest conditions the judge could use in place of cash: regular check-ins, say, or a stay-away order.
4. Show up for the hearing. Quiet, steady support tells the judge the person has roots here.

Delay matters too. A 2024 law sets a court check at 9 months from the first appearance for someone held only on that charge (SB 325). The Court Clerk at 580-362-3350 can explain how bond hearings land on the docket.

When money is short and jail is possible, the answer is yes, misdemeanors included (Spybuck v. State, 2025 OK CR 7). Defense here comes from the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, which pays private lawyers under contract.

1. Pick up the court-appointed counsel application at the Court Clerk. From jail, the person asks staff for one.
2. List income, bills and property. Whether they qualify is the judge's call (22 O.S. § 1355A).
3. The judge may weigh the ability to post bond, but that fact alone can't decide it.
4. Expect a $40 fee owed to the Court Fund. Asking to pay it when the case wraps up is allowed.

Appointments come from the judge, not from a call to OIDS. This county's contract office uses P.O. Box 2260, Oklahoma City, OK 73101, 405-236-5100. OIDS runs its trial division from 111 N. Peters Ave, Suite 500, Norman, OK 73069, 405-801-2655.

• District Court and Court Clerk (felonies and state misdemeanors), 201 S. Main St., Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-3350. Weekdays 8 a.m. to noon, then 12:45 to 4:30 p.m.
• Ponca City Municipal Court, City Central, 400 E. Central, Suite 302, Ponca City, OK 74601, 580-767-0382. Sessions Mondays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.
• Blackwell Municipal Court, City Hall courtroom, 221 W. Blackwell Ave., Blackwell, OK 74631. Sessions the first and third Mondays at 4:30 p.m. For questions, Blackwell police are at 224 W Blackwell, Blackwell, OK 74631, 580-363-5490.
• Tonkawa Municipal Court, courtroom at 115 S. 7th Street, Tonkawa, OK 74653, 580-308-6125. Sessions the second Monday at 5:30 p.m.
• Kaw Nation District Court, 698 Grandview Drive, Kaw City, OK 74641, 580-269-2552. Ask for the court; it keeps weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tonkawa Tribal Court, in the tribe's Justice Center, 1 Rush Buffalo Road, Tonkawa, OK 74653, 580-628-2561.
• Federal court, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

Cash bail is returned when the case wraps up. It also comes back if the accused is surrendered to the court (59 O.S. § 1328). Save that receipt, because the court asks for it.

Skipping court starts a chain of deadlines (59 O.S. § 1332):

• Day 10 at the latest: an arrest warrant goes out.
• Day 15 at the latest: the forfeiture judgment is on file. The clerk mails notice inside 30 days after that.
• The bondsman has 90 days from that order to bring the person in. If that happens, the forfeiture is erased.
• If not, the bondsman or insurer deposits the bond's full face value with the clerk.

Town courts act at once. On a city case, the judge declares the bond lost on the day of the no-show itself, and court costs are skimmed off the top (11 O.S. § 27-118). Refund questions on a state case go to the Court Clerk at 580-362-3350.

Oklahoma's jail standards have staff verify identity at the door. Staff check stored items against the booking inventory one by one, then have the person sign the property sheet (OAC 310:670-5-1).

• Call 580-362-3393 to ask how a leftover balance gets refunded and what hours property pickup runs.
• Picking up for someone else? Ask what signed note the jail needs from them.
• Bring photo ID to 1101 W Dry Road, Newkirk, OK 74647.

For background, see our pages on jail account money and commissary.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma takes federal cases that start here. Ponca City appears in federal law as a place that court can meet (28 U.S.C. 116), yet the clerk works from 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• A detention hearing comes early. There the judge weighs release against keeping the person locked up for trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Release-condition questions: U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Room 201, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5800.
• Pretrial custody: U.S. Marshals Service, 200 NW 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206.
• Prisoners on the move often stop at the Federal Transfer Center, 7410 S. MacArthur Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73169, 405-682-4075.
• Once sentenced to prison, they show up in the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

If a private lawyer costs too much, ask for the Federal Public Defender, 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5930.

Paying the state bond leaves an immigration hold untouched. The two run on separate tracks. Here is the usual order:

1. First, a Form I-247A detainer arrives from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
2. Under it, the jail can hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Agents then collect the person. ICE's Dallas Field Office covers Oklahoma from 8101 N. Stemmons Frwy, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200, and keeps an office at 1220 Sovereign Row, Oklahoma City, OK 73108, 405-219-3199.
4. One place ICE can send detainees is Cimarron Correctional Facility, 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-225-3336.
5. The ICE Online Detainee Locator works best with the A-number. A name plus the country the person was born in also works.

A 2024 state law made unlawful presence in Oklahoma its own crime (HB 4156, 21 O.S. § 1795). A federal judge's order keeps that law from being enforced for now. The state appealed, and the appeals court heard arguments in March 2026.

Prison time belongs to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and the hand-off is slow. Count on months, not days: DOC's normal pickup comes 6 to 9 months past sentencing, and that time passes in the county lockup. Then a reception center sizes up the person, assigns a custody score and picks a prison to match.

• Track them with the DOC Offender Lookup.
• Time already served on Dry Road usually counts toward the sentence.
• Read up on each lockup through our Oklahoma state prisons guide.
• DOC names the case manager as the contact for questions. Its main line is 405-425-2500, 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

Teens don't stay in the adult jail. The county has no youth center, so it rents beds in Enid, Vinita and McAlester:

• Garfield County Juvenile, Enid
• Craig County Juvenile, Vinita
• Pittsburg County Juvenile, McAlester

Six hours is the most a jail may hold a youth for processing. Adults can't be within view or hearing of that child (OAC 310:670-5-5). The Office of Juvenile Affairs oversees youth cases here, from 2501 N. Lincoln Blvd, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-530-2800. Older teens, ages 15 through 17, facing grave charges can be treated as youthful offenders, and a judge can move some cases to adult court. The Sheriff's Office lists juvenile services among its jobs, so call 580-362-3250 to learn where the teen went.

Each judicial district in Oklahoma has a single District Court that can hear any kind of case (Okla. Const. art. VII § 7). District 8 pairs this county with Noble County. In plain terms:

• Felonies carry possible prison time and are always filed in District Court.
• State misdemeanors top out at county jail. Deputy and trooper cases land in District Court as well.
• City ordinance cases go to municipal court in Ponca City, Blackwell or Tonkawa. City courts hear only criminal and traffic matters (Okla. Const. art. VII § 1).

Judges come in three ranks there: district, associate district and special (Okla. Const. art. VII § 8). The court assigns hearings among them, so the clerk can say who has a case.

All state criminal cases run through one building in the county seat.

• District Court and Court Clerk, 201 S. Main St., Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-3350. Mail goes to P.O. Box 428, Newkirk, OK 74647. The clerk's office opens Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 12:45 to 4:30 p.m.
• District Attorney, District 8, in the same courthouse at 201 S. Main, Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-2571.

The clerk keeps felony and misdemeanor files, traffic tickets written by the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff, and records of fines and court costs.

All three hold their own courts for city charges:

• Ponca City Municipal Court, City Central, 400 E. Central, Suite 302, Ponca City, OK 74601, 580-767-0382. Office hours run Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Court sits Mondays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. Juvenile court meets the second and fourth Wednesdays, closed to the public.
• Blackwell Municipal Court, City Hall courtroom, 221 W. Blackwell Ave., Blackwell, OK 74631. Court is the first and third Mondays at 4:30 p.m., with juvenile dockets at 5 p.m. Blackwell police at 580-363-5490 can steer court questions.
• Tonkawa Municipal Court, clerk's office at 117 S. 7th Street, Tonkawa, OK 74653, with the courtroom next door at 115 S. 7th Street, 580-308-6125. Court meets the second Monday at 5:30 p.m.

For a ticket written in Newkirk, call City Hall at 107 W. 7th St., Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-2117. For Kaw City, Braman or Kildare, ask the District Court Clerk at 580-362-3350 where the case is filed.

Two tribal courts also sit here. The Kaw Nation District Court is at 698 Grandview Drive, Kaw City, OK 74641, 580-269-2552, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Tonkawa Tribal Court is at the tribe's Justice Center, 1 Rush Buffalo Road, Tonkawa, OK 74653, 580-628-2561. Whether a case belongs in tribal, state or federal court can turn on tribal citizenship and where the crime happened, so ask a lawyer.

The first stop in front of a judge is often called an arraignment. Expect these pieces:

1. The charges are read out or explained.
2. Bond is set, kept or reviewed.
3. Someone without money for a lawyer asks for an appointed one.
4. A new date goes on the calendar. Felony defendants in District Court don't enter a plea yet at this early stage.

A person held in another county may join an arraignment by video since a 2024 law (SB 1711). The state sets no single deadline for this hearing, so ask the jail at 580-362-3393 when your person is on the list.

Most low-level state cases here start with a DUI, a drug-possession count or a small theft. State Question 780 took effect July 1, 2017. Under it, a Ponca City or Blackwell arrest for simple drug possession is a misdemeanor, and a theft becomes a felony only above $1,000.

• A second or later DUI means the person waits for a judge before release (HB 1222).
• Broke and possibly headed to a cell? Spybuck v. State, decided in 2025, guarantees an appointed defender.
• A misdemeanor trial at the Newkirk courthouse uses a half-size jury of 6.
• Fines, fees and costs come due at sentencing. A judge can approve a payment plan set by the cost administrator.
• Tickets from the Highway Patrol or the Sheriff must be paid in full by the court date, with no plan.

Misdemeanor time is done locally, at the county lockup. Ask the clerk at 580-362-3350 for the court date and the total owed.

A felony moves through several stages. Each can take weeks or months.

1. Charges filed. The District Attorney files the case in District Court.
2. Arraignment. Charges get read, a lawyer gets named for anyone who qualifies, and bond comes up again.
3. Preliminary hearing. It isn't the trial. Prosecutors must convince the judge that a crime occurred, that there is good reason to tie the accused to it, and that it happened inside county lines.
4. Motions and settings. Lawyers file requests, and the case gets a plea hearing or a jury date.
5. Deal or jury. The case ends with a plea bargain or a verdict, and a felony verdict comes from a panel of 12.
6. Sentencing. Days already spent in jail are almost always credited.

Oklahoma now grades felonies by letter for any crime dated January 1, 2026 or later (HB 1792, HB 2104, HB 2105). The scale starts at Y and A1, the gravest, and ends at D3. A judge's written judgment must name the letter. Under SB 325, from 2024, a Dry Road detainee held on nothing else gets a review hearing after 9 months; on bond, the wait doubles to 18.

Bail, prison time and appeals all get tougher. Violent crimes sit in the Y, A and B letter groups, and lawmakers left their old sentence ranges alone.

• Bail. A judge may refuse it for violent, life-term and capital charges after a hearing (Okla. Const. art. II § 8). Someone out on a violent-crime bond who picks up a second violent charge faces a presumption of detention (HB 3782).
• Parole limits. A state list covers child abuse, armed robbery, first degree rape, first degree murder and more. Those carry a parole wait: no review before 85% of the sentence has been served (21 O.S. § 13.1).
• Domestic abuse. When a child is present, SB 1238 (2026) puts domestic abuse in Class B5.
• Protective orders. Orders against someone locked up on Dry Road jump the line, with a first service try inside 24 hours (SB 623).
• Appeals. HB 1066 ends bail during an appeal for anyone found guilty of child abuse or intimate partner abuse.

Charges are brought by the District Attorney elected for District 8, a district made of Kay and Noble counties. The local office is at 201 S. Main, Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-2571. The Noble office is at 300 Courthouse Drive, Suite 6, Perry, OK 73077, 580-336-4044.

For defense, the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System hires contract lawyers to cover this county. People in jail ask staff for the application. Others get it from the Court Clerk at 580-362-3350. A District Court judge decides who qualifies, and the $40 application fee can wait until the case ends.

• County contract office: P.O. Box 2260, Oklahoma City, OK 73101, 405-236-5100
• OIDS main office: 111 N. Peters Ave, Suite 500, Norman, OK 73069, 405-801-2601

Yes. To follow a Newkirk case, the clerk's own page recommends Oklahoma District Court Records, which costs nothing.

1. Go to odcr.com.
2. Choose Kay from the county list. Type the last and first name, or the case number.
3. Click into the result to see each charge, every paper filed and the dates still ahead.

Dockets can trail what happened in court that morning. To be sure, call the clerk at 580-362-3350. City cases are handled by each city court, such as Ponca City's at 580-767-0382.

Deputies serve county warrants, and city officers serve city ones. Call the Sheriff's Office at 580-362-3250 and ask for warrants. Ponca City's warrant listing sits on its Municipal Court page, and that court answers at 580-767-0382. A state case search runs on odcr.com. Statewide, check DOC Orange Alerts for prison escapes, plus the Attorney General's 10 Most Wanted. Tips on federal fugitives go to 800-336-0102, and their faces fill the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted. Got one? Hire or request a lawyer, and together turn yourself in at the court whose judge signed it. That court can also give a bond figure or a new date by phone. State warrants go through the Court Clerk, 201 S. Main St., Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-3350.

Federal crimes from here are charged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Federal law names Ponca City as a place where that court may sit (28 U.S.C. 116). The clerk's office is at 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

• The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecutes, from 210 Park Avenue, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-553-8700.
• A detention hearing decides if the person is released or held until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Pretrial, the person stays a federal prisoner of the U.S. Marshals Service, at 200 NW 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206. Moves often run through the Federal Transfer Center, 7410 S. MacArthur Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73169.
• The Federal Public Defender takes people who can't hire a lawyer: 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5930.
• After a prison sentence, find the person on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The District Court case in Newkirk keeps moving. The detainer only matters on release day, after bond or at the end of the case. Here is the chain:

1. ICE files Form I-247A at the Dry Road jail.
2. It asks for custody to continue up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Then ICE comes for the person. The Dallas Field Office covers this state from 8101 N. Stemmons Frwy, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200. ICE's Oklahoma City office is at 1220 Sovereign Row, Oklahoma City, OK 73108, 405-219-3199.
4. From there, people may be held at sites such as Cimarron Correctional Facility, 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to learn where they are.

Oklahoma's own immigration crime law (HB 4156, 21 O.S. § 1795) is stopped by a federal court order for now. Judges on the Tenth Circuit heard the state's appeal on March 25, 2026. A plea can have immigration effects, so a noncitizen should raise this with the defense lawyer before deciding.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections takes custody after a prison sentence, though not right away. DOC's own estimate: 6 to 9 months of waiting on Dry Road before the state bus arrives. Very short sentences can jump ahead in line.

Next is an assessment and reception center. Staff score the crime, the sentence and other factors, set a custody level, then assign a prison.

• After the state bus leaves Dry Road, check the DOC Offender Lookup for the prison name.
• Inside DOC, a case manager handles each person's questions. The agency's main line is 405-425-2500, 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
• Each state prison is described on our Oklahoma prisons page.

Charges against minors are heard on District Court's juvenile docket, with the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) in charge of state services. OJA is at 2501 N. Lincoln Blvd, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-530-2800.

• There is no youth detention center in this county. Detained youth go to regional centers it pays for in Enid, Vinita or McAlester: Garfield County Juvenile, Craig County Juvenile or Pittsburg County Juvenile.
• Staff screen each detained youth inside 48 hours and ahead of the first detention hearing.
• Under the Youthful Offender Act, teens 15, 16 and 17 charged with serious crimes can be held to account in a special track. A judge can certify the case to adult court, or reverse-certify it back to the juvenile docket.
• City juvenile matters are heard in Ponca City on the second and fourth Wednesdays, and in Blackwell at 5 p.m. on court days.

The Sheriff's Office handles juvenile services and can tell you the center: 580-362-3250.

Victims here are protected by Marsy's Law (Okla. Const. art. II § 34). Among its promises:

• Respect, with care for the victim's safety, dignity and privacy
• Time to speak up whenever release, a plea, a sentence or parole is on the table
• Full repayment of losses, made in a timely way
• No unreasonable delay, and a prompt finish

Notice isn't automatic. Write to the District Attorney with the defendant's name, the Kay or Noble case number, plus a street address and phone where you can be reached. The office is at 201 S. Main, Newkirk, OK 74647, 580-362-2571. Custody alerts come free from VINELink or by phone at 877-654-8463. Bills from the crime, like a hospital stay, counseling, lost work or a funeral, may qualify for the state Crime Victims Compensation Program. Reach it at 405-264-5006.