The Oklahoma Board of Corrections approved a budget request of $1.57 billion on Tuesday. Breaking down the request, $884 million would add an additional 5,200 beds to the system, $91.7 million would be used to treat inmates with hepatitis C, $31.9 million is for critical facility repairs and maintenance, and $18.5 million would be used for staff pay raises.
“This request is not a wish list,” Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Joe M. Allbaugh said. “This is what we need. Oklahoma continues to send more people to prison, and it costs real money to house, look after, and provide those individuals medical care – all of which we are required to do.”
The Legislature failed to enact criminal justice reforms to bring down the total inmate population. That figure is expected to grow by 2,367 inmates by 2026 on the state’s current path. State facilities are at 113 percent capacity as of the count at the beginning of the week.
“We are bursting at the seams with over 27,000 inmates inside 24-facility system – and the state has made little progress on justice reform,” Allbaugh said. “As we’ve said before, reforms passed last session will help slow inmate population growth but do little to unseat Oklahoma as the world’s top incarcerator.”
DOC estimates more than 3,000 inmates have hepatitis C. The Legislature has refused to fund DOC’s past requests for treatment. On average, it costs more than $29,000 for a full course treatment per inmate.
The state owned facilities are in shambles. The 100 year old Oklahoma State Penitentiary alone needs $5.7 million in repairs and other crucial maintenance. That is the facility that houses Oklahoma’s death row inmates.
If the pay increase request is provided, it would raise a cadet correctional officer’s pay from $13.74 a hour to $14.74. The DOC says that is higher than two neighboring states, but below average.
“Oklahoma needs to invest in its prison system now,” Board chairman Frazier Henke said. “The sooner we invest in our infrastructure, the sooner we begin saving taxpayer dollars in the future.”
You can review the Department of Corrections budget request here.
