We study the one-dimensional modulational instability of broad optical beams in biased centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals under steady-state conditions. The one-dimensional modulational instability growth rates are obtained by globally and locally treating the space-charge field, which depend on the external bias field and the ratio of the intensity of optical beam to that of the dark irradiance. Our analysis indicates that the modulational instability growth rate in local effects can be determined from that in nonlocal effects.