Okla. Stat. tit. 57, § 57-58: Employment of prisoners

Wherever any person shall be confined in any jail pursuant to

the sentence of any court, if such sentence or any part thereof

shall be that he be confined at hard labor, the sheriff of the

county in which such person shall be confined shall furnish such

convict with suitable tools and materials to work with, if, in the

opinion of the said sheriff, the said convict can be profitably

employed either in the jail or yard thereof, and the expense of said

tools and materials shall be defrayed by the county in which said

convict shall be confined, and said county shall be entitled to his

earnings. And it shall be the duty of said sheriff, if in his

opinion the said convict can be more profitably employed outside of

said jail or yard, either for the county or for any municipality in

said county, so to employ said convict, either in work on public

streets or highways or otherwise; and in so doing he shall take all

necessary precaution to prevent said convict's escape, by ball and

chain or otherwise, and fifty percent (50%) of the profits of such

employment, after paying all expenses incident thereto, may be

retained by said sheriff as his fees therefor, the balance to be

paid into the treasury of the proper county to the credit of the

general fund; and when a convict is imprisoned in the county jail

for nonpayment of a fine he may be employed by said sheriff as

provided in this chapter; and in case any convict employed outside

of the jail yard shall escape, he shall be deemed as having escaped

from the jail proper.