Claire Howell
Encyclopedia
Claire Howell is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz
portrayed by Kristin Rohde
.
serving as a guard in the eponymous prison, she preys on all the men in her orbit, prisoners and guards alike, as human sex toy
s who exist for her to dominate. She first has a relationship with Tim McManus
, the Emerald City unit manager, that ends with her filing a sexual harassment
charge against him after he breaks off the affair. With the inmates, she is extremely aggressive and has sex with many of them throughout her tenure as a guard. Some of these inmates include Ryan O'Reily
, Chris Keller
, Miguel Alvarez
, Carlos Martinez, and in deleted scenes Chico Guerra
. She also tries unsuccessfully to have sex with inmates Cyril O'Reily
and Omar White
.
In the series' final episode, she reveals the fact that an inmate, either Martinez or Guerra, has impregnated her. Because her religious beliefs preclude abortion
, she is forced to learn to control her violent impulses, as she will be raising the baby alone.
's offer to show her the ropes by making it clear she needs no help from anyone. Howell continues by making a move on Tim McManus, resulting in them sleeping together. In a brief conversation, Howell confirms her suspicions about Diane and Tim, when Diane gives Howell the rundown on Tim's dating system. Howell, in an attempt to one-up Wittlesey, reveals how it only took her one date to get Tim in bed. Howell's deeply vicious jealous streak comes out when she sees Tim comforting Wittlesey in the staff lounge after he tells Wittlesey that her mother died. She quickly confronts Tim in his office and the conversation escalates to a shouting match and then to a tussle with Tim having to physically subdue Howell. What's worse, the entire incident is witnessed by some of the inmates. An angry Tim demands that Warden Leo Glynn
fire her after she beats an inmate in solitary badly. She then files a sexual harassment
suit against Tim, which results in her reinstatement. While in the staff lounge, Wittlesey punches Howell in the jaw and a fight ensues. She also, with Len Lopresti
, takes pleasure in hearing how Hamid Khan
was put into a coma by Cyril O'Reily
, saying "maybe Allah
was out of town." As she was saying that, Officer Clayton Hughes
hears them in the locker room and curses them both.
(by eating himself up) and one get killed during recreational time. At a black guard's funeral, she is seen giggling when McManus is singing "Camptown Races
". She is then transferred to Em City by Warden Glynn who notices that no White COs are left in the unit under Martin Querns
' command. While on duty in the cafeteria, Howell steps in to break up a fight involving Ryan O'Reily
. She tells the other officer that she'll take him in herself. Howell actually has other plans for Ryan as she leads him into the bathroom where she proceeds to perform oral sex
on Ryan. This leads to Howell and Ryan's frequent and well-hidden sexual relationship - thanks to Howell's position as a guard, she can often force Ryan away from the public areas of the prison and into hidden rooms for sex. After a while, Ryan's mentally handicapped brother Cyril
and then-roommate is able to deduce what is happening between Ryan and Howell, and guilts him into breaking the relationship later in the season. During the height of their sexual relationship, Ryan requests that she kill Nikolai Stanislofsky
, who had become a problem for Ryan. Howell offers a bathing Stanislofsky (a bath had been the condemned Stanislofsky's last wish) some sexual comfort and, during the distraction, she throws a hair dryer into the tub, killing him.
After Cyril tells Ryan he knows about Howell and his relationship, Ryan decides to call it quits with her to protect his brother. She threatens him by claiming she'll decide when it's over and later tells Ryan that she's been considering Cyril for her next conquest. She approaches Ryan with a deal that she'll stop forcing sex onto him in exchange for the rights to molest Cyril. Ryan becomes enraged, deciding to plan another way of getting Howell off his back. After Querns is fired, Howell is transferred to Unit J (the unit for incarnated law enforcement officers). Ryan convinces inmate Alvin Yood
to let Howell have an "accident" in exchange for extra food. While Howell and Yood are walking down some stairs, he trips her up, she falls and breaks her pelvis, which puts her out of commission for a while.
Howell returns to Oz after taking the fall down the stairs. Following this, Howell goes back on duty to solitary confinement.
returns to Oz to await a murder trial, he is placed in protective custody. Howell decides since he's the only one in that unit, she can have some sexual escapades with Keller, who at first is willing. After a while, he tires of her and tells her he's no longer interested. This angers Howell, who beats him badly and covers it up as though he attacked her.
that she is pregnant and unsure of who the father is (possibly Carlos Martínez). Although she decides to keep the baby, she has to decide if she should continue working at Oz or move away. After she tells Mukada about her pregnancy, she goes back to solitary to check on the inmates. When she opens one door she sees a saddened Agamemnon Busmalis
, who tells her that he will never be a father. Howell, sympathetically, tells him that everyone has problems and then shuts the door, sadly realizing that Busmalis is not allowed to have a child and she is with a child that she doesn't want.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
portrayed by Kristin Rohde
Kristin Rohde
Kristin Rohde is an American actress who played Officer Claire Howell in Oz. She also had a recurring role in Homicide: Life on the street as Officer Sally Rogers.-External links:...
.
Character overview
A sexual predatorSexual predator
The term sexual predator is used pejoratively to describe a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically "predatory" manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to "hunt" for his or her sex partners...
serving as a guard in the eponymous prison, she preys on all the men in her orbit, prisoners and guards alike, as human sex toy
Sex toy
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...
s who exist for her to dominate. She first has a relationship with Tim McManus
Tim McManus
Tim McManus is a fictional character on HBO's prison drama Oz, played by Terry Kinney.-Character overview:McManus, the idealistic manager of Emerald City, is unlike the rest of the staff members at Oz as he has never been a CO, has a college education, and generally believes in the inmates as...
, the Emerald City unit manager, that ends with her filing a sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
charge against him after he breaks off the affair. With the inmates, she is extremely aggressive and has sex with many of them throughout her tenure as a guard. Some of these inmates include Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
, Chris Keller
Chris Keller
Chris Keller is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, portrayed by Christopher Meloni from 1998 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner ID 98K514. Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving under the influence and...
, Miguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez is a fictional character played by American actor Kirk Acevedo on the television show Oz. He is the main Latino inmate in the series. He is a gang member of El Norte and of Cuban descent.-Character overview:...
, Carlos Martinez, and in deleted scenes Chico Guerra
Carmen Guerra
Carmen "Chico" Guerra is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, played by Otto Sanchez.-Character overview:Prisoner #96G522. Convicted June 4, 1996 - Murder in the first degree...
. She also tries unsuccessfully to have sex with inmates Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama Oz. He is also mentioned in the companion book , p. 58.-Character overview:...
and Omar White
Omar White
Omar White is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Michael Wright.-Character overview:Prisoner 01W711. Convicted January 4, 2001 - Murder in the first degree...
.
In the series' final episode, she reveals the fact that an inmate, either Martinez or Guerra, has impregnated her. Because her religious beliefs preclude abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, she is forced to learn to control her violent impulses, as she will be raising the baby alone.
Season 3
Officer Howell reports for duty and immediately makes her dubious mark on everyone. She first dismisses Diane WittleseyDiane Wittlesey
Officer Diane Wittlesey is a fictional character played by Edie Falco on the television program Oz.-Character overview:Oz's first female correctional officer is a divorcee and single mother, who has suffered spousal abuse, poverty and substance abuse; through all of that she gained a pretty good...
's offer to show her the ropes by making it clear she needs no help from anyone. Howell continues by making a move on Tim McManus, resulting in them sleeping together. In a brief conversation, Howell confirms her suspicions about Diane and Tim, when Diane gives Howell the rundown on Tim's dating system. Howell, in an attempt to one-up Wittlesey, reveals how it only took her one date to get Tim in bed. Howell's deeply vicious jealous streak comes out when she sees Tim comforting Wittlesey in the staff lounge after he tells Wittlesey that her mother died. She quickly confronts Tim in his office and the conversation escalates to a shouting match and then to a tussle with Tim having to physically subdue Howell. What's worse, the entire incident is witnessed by some of the inmates. An angry Tim demands that Warden Leo Glynn
Warden Leo Glynn
Leo Glynn is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz. He is the warden of the Oswald state correctional facility-Character overview:...
fire her after she beats an inmate in solitary badly. She then files a sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
suit against Tim, which results in her reinstatement. While in the staff lounge, Wittlesey punches Howell in the jaw and a fight ensues. She also, with Len Lopresti
Len Lopresti
Len Lopresti is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Carl DiMaggio.-Character overview:A corrections cfficer in the prison, Lopresti is a mean-spirited, racist bully who terrorizes non-white inmates...
, takes pleasure in hearing how Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan
Hamid Khan, played by Ernie Hudson Jr., is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz.- Character overview :Prisoner #99K515. Convicted March 6, 1999 - Aggravated assault. Sentence: 10 years, eligible for parole in five....
was put into a coma by Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama Oz. He is also mentioned in the companion book , p. 58.-Character overview:...
, saying "maybe Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
was out of town." As she was saying that, Officer Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes
Clayton Hughes is a character played by Seth Gilliam on the HBO dramatic series Oz, which takes place in an experimental prison unit.He started out as a corrections officer. Warden Glynn did not want Clayton to work in Oz. The main reason was that Clayton's father, Samuel Hughes, was murdered in Oz...
hears them in the locker room and curses them both.
Season 4
Howell begins season 4 working as the main officer in solitary where she witnesses one inmate commit suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
(by eating himself up) and one get killed during recreational time. At a black guard's funeral, she is seen giggling when McManus is singing "Camptown Races
Camptown Races
Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was probably composed in Cincinnati in 1849, according to Richard Jackson, and published by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, in February 1850...
". She is then transferred to Em City by Warden Glynn who notices that no White COs are left in the unit under Martin Querns
Martin Querns
Warden Martin Querns is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Reg E. Cathey.-Character overview:He is an African American prison unit manager who has a vast experience of handling various prison units. He is hired by Warden Leo Glynn after he is asked to find a competent black unit...
' command. While on duty in the cafeteria, Howell steps in to break up a fight involving Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
. She tells the other officer that she'll take him in herself. Howell actually has other plans for Ryan as she leads him into the bathroom where she proceeds to perform oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on Ryan. This leads to Howell and Ryan's frequent and well-hidden sexual relationship - thanks to Howell's position as a guard, she can often force Ryan away from the public areas of the prison and into hidden rooms for sex. After a while, Ryan's mentally handicapped brother Cyril
Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama Oz. He is also mentioned in the companion book , p. 58.-Character overview:...
and then-roommate is able to deduce what is happening between Ryan and Howell, and guilts him into breaking the relationship later in the season. During the height of their sexual relationship, Ryan requests that she kill Nikolai Stanislofsky
Nikolai Stanislofsky
Nikolai Petrovich Stanislofsky was a prisoner character played by Philip Casnoff on HBO's Oz in Season 3 and 4.-Character overview:Prisoner 99S233. Convicted February 14, 1999 - Possession of stolen goods with intent to sell. Sentence: 15 years, up for parole in five.-Season 3:Nikolai was a...
, who had become a problem for Ryan. Howell offers a bathing Stanislofsky (a bath had been the condemned Stanislofsky's last wish) some sexual comfort and, during the distraction, she throws a hair dryer into the tub, killing him.
After Cyril tells Ryan he knows about Howell and his relationship, Ryan decides to call it quits with her to protect his brother. She threatens him by claiming she'll decide when it's over and later tells Ryan that she's been considering Cyril for her next conquest. She approaches Ryan with a deal that she'll stop forcing sex onto him in exchange for the rights to molest Cyril. Ryan becomes enraged, deciding to plan another way of getting Howell off his back. After Querns is fired, Howell is transferred to Unit J (the unit for incarnated law enforcement officers). Ryan convinces inmate Alvin Yood
Alvin Yood
Alvin Yood is a character at HBO drama Oz played by Tom Ligon.-Character Overview:Prisoner 01Y218. Convicted January 20, 2001 for aggravated assault of a minor. Sentence of 12 years, up for parole in seven....
to let Howell have an "accident" in exchange for extra food. While Howell and Yood are walking down some stairs, he trips her up, she falls and breaks her pelvis, which puts her out of commission for a while.
Howell returns to Oz after taking the fall down the stairs. Following this, Howell goes back on duty to solitary confinement.
Season 5
Howell's duties this season are relegated to keeping inmates in protective custody safe. When Chris KellerChris Keller
Chris Keller is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz, portrayed by Christopher Meloni from 1998 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner ID 98K514. Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving under the influence and...
returns to Oz to await a murder trial, he is placed in protective custody. Howell decides since he's the only one in that unit, she can have some sexual escapades with Keller, who at first is willing. After a while, he tires of her and tells her he's no longer interested. This angers Howell, who beats him badly and covers it up as though he attacked her.
Season 6
Howell assisted officer Dave Brass in cutting inmate Enrique Morales's tendons for revenge. Howell continued her detail in solitary and still found other inmates willing to have sex with her just to keep her from harassing them. Of course, one tryst is too much, as Howell confides to Father Ray MukadaFather Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada is a character on the HBO television series Oz, played by B. D. Wong.right|thumb|B.D. Wong as Father Ray Mukada.-Character history:...
that she is pregnant and unsure of who the father is (possibly Carlos Martínez). Although she decides to keep the baby, she has to decide if she should continue working at Oz or move away. After she tells Mukada about her pregnancy, she goes back to solitary to check on the inmates. When she opens one door she sees a saddened Agamemnon Busmalis
Agamemnon Busmalis
Agamemnon "Aggie" Busmalis a.k.a. The Mole is a fictional character of the television series Oz, portrayed by Tom Mardirosian. He is also referenced in OZ: Behind These Walls: The Journal of Augustus Hill.-Character's backstory:...
, who tells her that he will never be a father. Howell, sympathetically, tells him that everyone has problems and then shuts the door, sadly realizing that Busmalis is not allowed to have a child and she is with a child that she doesn't want.