Oklahoma allowed private companies to employ incarcerated workers for outside calling campaigns, including work that ultimately reached a presidential campaign.

governing ^ | 08 31 2026 | Keaton Ross and J.C. Hallman

[yesthatjallen]

When Oklahoma inmate Steve Wilbanks spoke to a reporter by phone in late July, it had been six weeks since he worked in a prison call center, placing calls on behalf of insurance companies attempting to poach business from competitors and making political calls as primary elections were underway across the country.

“I had good numbers,” Wilbanks, who is incarcerated at the James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena, said. “I was a producer.”

Wilbanks was one of four inmates who spoke with reporters about the call center work. Contracts obtained via an open records request confirm that a company called HBW Leads and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections have established several call centers since January. As of Aug. 21, call centers are active at four state prisons: James Crabtree in Helena, Mabel Bassett in McLoud, Lexington Correctional in Lexington and Joseph Harp in Lexington.

The contracts specify that the call centers may engage in “telemarketing and political polling activity.” HBW Leads agreed to pay the Department of Corrections $10 per inmate hour worked. Prisoners employed at the call centers earn $2 per hour, plus possible bonuses for generating leads or completing surveys.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: callcenters; campaign; oklahoma; prisoners

[yesthatjallen]

“We go directly to the voters’ doorsteps, cellphones, and mailboxes to mobilize them to oust RINOs and socialist Democrats alike,” reads Make Liberty Win’s mission statement.

[chickenlips]

Indian call centers and Nigerian princes aren’t going to be happy about this.

[BobL]

I remember long ago calling TWA’s reservation center. Guy booked my ticket correctly, but sounds a bit different than I was used to, especially when he wrapped up a call after I thanked him with something like “yeah, it’s cool”.

They found out a bit after that the credit card numbers collected weren’t just used to buy TWA tickets...

[yesthatjallen]

I'm wondering what this "Make Liberty Win" group is. Targeting RINOS and socialist Democrat? At the hot link I provided, you can see some of their endorsed candidates.

PAC That Spent $550K Helping Freedom Caucus Had 87% Failure Rate

[KarlInOhio]

As if I needed another reason to not answer an unknown phone number.

[lastchance]

As far as I know this is not a new business practice.

[Sequoyah101]

Oklahoma. Backward and corrupt. What else would you expect?

[Major Matt Mason]

Probably siphoning money away from where it should be going, directly to real conservative candidates. An 87% failure suggests that they aren't very serious about actually accomplishing what they claim to want to accomplish.