Current Year's Nominees
Established 1917
700 S 9th St
Tecumseh, OK
74873
Phone: 405-598-2135
Products & Services
"COJC provides care, guidance, discipline, education, rehabilitation and reintegration services for male youth between the ages of 14-19. Residents of COJC have been adjudicated by the court as a Delinquent or Youthful Offender (YO), are in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs and meet the requirements for placement in a secure treatment facility."
Tell the membership some about the company's background and other fun information.
"The campus that houses COJC first opened in 1907 and has gone through many transformations over the years. Previously, it was known as the Russell Industrial School, Oklahoma State Industrial School for Incorrigible Girls, the State Industrial School for White Girls, Girls Town and the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Treatment Center. At various times, it has housed orphans, children in need of mental health treatment, and youth adjudicated as delinquent and/or youthful offenders. COJC, a secure care treatment facility, is operated by OJA, which was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1994 as the state juvenile justice agency. OJA, which began operations on July 1, 1995, was given the responsibility and authority to manage the state's juvenile affairs. OJA along with its community partners provide prevention, education, and treatment services for at-risk youth throughout Oklahoma. This joint effort creates a statewide system that supports and encourages young people to achieve their full potential."
Please tell the membership why you chose to build.
"In 2017, legislation was approved authorizing up to $45 million in bonds to help the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) consolidate its secure-care operations in an updated facility at the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center (COJC) in Tecumseh. OJA is funding the project with money that it has saved through efficiencies. In 2018, OJA closed its facility for females in Norman. Secure care operations at Southwestern Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Manitou were moved this year to Tecumseh. The renovated COJC campus includes a new health clinic/intake center and new residential cottages featuring ample natural light. The seven cottages have high-ceiling dayrooms, and each resident has a bedroom with a window. Units at COJC previously were open-dorm style with very little natural lighting. Improvements also were made to the education/gymnasium building and to the administration building. Several outdated buildings, some a century old, were demolished."
