Fact Check: Documents Show Oklahoma Inmates Earned $2/Hour Working For Call Centers Linked To Political Campaigns

A circulating claim that Oklahoma incarcerated people were contracted to work for a call center vendor making political and marketing calls — and that inmates were paid about $2 per hour while the state received $10 per inmate hour — is supported by reporting and a service contract reviewed by multiple outlets.

What the documents and reporting show

Investigative nonprofit Oklahoma Watch published reporting (Aug. 24, 2026) that included a service contract between Oklahoma Correctional Industries (OCI), a division of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC), and HBW Leads. Snopes reviewed the same documents and reporting and confirmed key details.

The contract and reporting indicate OCI provided inmate labor at call centers in four Oklahoma facilities — James Crabtree Correctional Center, Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (McLoud), Lexington Correctional Center and Joseph Harp Correctional Center — for telemarketing and related work. Multiple incarcerated sources, one named (Steve Wilbanks) and others anonymous, described working on call-center shifts in those locations.

Pay and invoicing

The service contract states HBW Leads agreed to pay OCI $10 per inmate hour worked. The reporting and inmate accounts say prisoners received roughly $2 per hour for their work, with small bonuses possible for lead generation or completed surveys. The contract allows OCI to "withhold up to but not to exceed 80 percent of the wage rate per inmate hour worked," which is consistent with the $10/$2 split documented in reporting.

Scope of permitted work

The contract explicitly authorizes two categories of tasks for inmate workers: (1) outbound calls related to marketing lead generation and (2) conducting or assisting with political opinion polling, "subject to applicable laws and regulations." The vendor’s public materials primarily describe generating insurance leads, but a subsidiary called Visible Trends lists political polling, fundraising, legislative outreach and GOTV among its services.

Connection to a super PAC

Oklahoma Watch reported that at least one inmate said the scripts they read identified calls as paid for by the conservative super PAC Make Liberty Win. Archived Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings cited by reporters show at least 38 payments totaling more than $400,000 from Make Liberty Win to Visible Trends between March and June 2026 — a span that matches the contract term in the DOC–HBW Leads agreement. Snopes said it could not independently verify that inmates specifically placed calls for Make Liberty Win, however.

Responses and follow-up

Oklahoma Watch and Snopes contacted the DOC and Make Liberty Win for comment. The super PAC’s executive director, Barrett Young, told Oklahoma Watch the group was not aware prison labor was being used and that it canceled the contract for performance reasons. The DOC was asked to explain the inmate pay structure and why telemarketing is not listed among OCI’s public services; reporters said they would update coverage if the agency responded.

Context and concerns

Reporting also noted concerns about the nature of some calls. One source described calls that resembled push-polling — a technique that presents as a survey but aims to influence respondents — which is widely criticized in campaign communications. The contract’s inclusion of political polling raises legal and ethical questions that commentators and watchdogs may continue to examine.

Sources

The findings are based on the OCI–HBW Leads service contract embedded in Oklahoma Watch reporting, the Oklahoma Watch article by J.C. Hallman (Aug. 24, 2026), Snopes’ verification review, HBW Leads and Visible Trends public materials, Ohio Secretary of State business records for Visible Trends, archived FEC filings showing payments from Make Liberty Win, and DOC facility and services pages. Reporters said they would publish updates if DOC or Make Liberty Win provide additional statements.