Oklahoma lawmaker calls for independent investigation into DOC concerns at state prisons
OKLAHOMA (KFOR) – Oklahoma officials are pushing for changes at Oklahoma’s state prisons. A state lawmaker accused the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) of failing inmates.
At the Capitol on Wednesday morning, the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee discussed more problems at prisons across the state. At the meeting, Republican Representative Justin Humphrey pointed the finger at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
Humphrey brought forward several incidents like reports of rapes and deaths that have been reported to him by DOC staff, inmates and prison advocacy groups asking for help.
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“We need to call a state of emergency. We need to investigate. Something should be done,” Representative Justin Humphrey, (R) Lane.
Humphrey is calling for an outside agency to investigate the number of rapes that are allegedly going unnoticed.
“We’re getting calls on a daily basis… If you don’t properly investigate these things, then this is what’s going to happen. You’re having rapes all the time. And I just want to let you know, we’re getting calls constantly that rapes are occurring and nothing is being done about it,” said Humphrey.
One was recently reportedly committed by an officer and captured on video. DOC leaders say they acted quickly.
“Within 4 hours of receiving that video, we had him arrested and he was booked into Pottawatomi County Jail… We do have 21,000 people in our care. We work very hard to make sure that we listen to all the inmates,” said Kay Thompson, chief public relations, Oklahoma DOC.
Humphrey also pointed to the number of overdose deaths and cases where inmates died after not receiving requested medical attention.
He believes those deaths and rapes could have been avoided if there were enough staff to handle the number of inmates.
“We have a very dangerous situation that I believe is being caused by a shortage of staff,” said Humphrey.
Thompson says they cannot release specific staffing numbers at each prison due to safety concerns, however the current overall inmate to security staff numbers is 15 to one.
Humphrey points to a solution and his plan to completely transform the state’s criminal justice system. He says his plan would modify drug courts, hold correctional facilities accountable, reduce crime and more.
“There’s a plan and solutions out there… I’ve offered that to the governor and I’m ready. Governor, I’d love to hear from you if you’re listening,” said Humphrey.
Kay Thompson with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections was at the meeting on Wednesday. As for inmate deaths, Thompson says violent attacks inside prisons have dropped. She credits several recent changes already in place like DOC’s new misconduct policy.
“Our violent numbers are actually on the decrease. We track this. We are very data driven… We’ve also made strategic moves to house certain security threat groups together, which reduces the violence in between those gangs. So, we have seen a deep drop in October since we started making all those moves,” said Thompson.
Humphrey says he receives nearly 30 to 40 calls from staff, inmates and prison advocacy groups weekly, asking for help.
He says he’s overwhelmed with calls, and he is doing his best to turn the legitimate reports over to the proper agencies.
A lengthy statement was sent to KFOR in response to the committee meeting.
“The Oklahoma Department of Corrections takes seriously the safety and security of our staff and inmates. During today’s Criminal Justice and Corrections committee meeting, Representative Justin Humphrey made multiple untrue claims. He began by saying an inmate at the Great Plains Correctional Center is currently hospitalized for injuries resulting from rape. This is entirely inaccurate. The agency has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) allegations. This is displayed through the swiftness with which our agents arrested the correctional officer seen having sex with a Mabel Bassett Correctional Center inmate in the video provided to us.
Rep. Humphrey stated he receives reports of rapes; however, he has not reported any of these incidents to ODOC’s Office of the Inspector General and has continued to make vague statements, which cannot be investigated. No outside law enforcement agency has contacted us about potential rape reports.
Rep. Humphrey’s commenting deaths within our facilities were preventable is pure speculation on his part. Our medical and mental health teams genuinely care about those incarcerated and work diligently to provide the best care possible. His report of an inmate screaming for hours in pain again is one of the many baseless statements made today.
There was no outbreak of meningitis at GPCC. There was only one case of meningitis, which unfortunately resulted in a fatality. Another inmate presented with symptoms but was medically cleared after extensive tests. We followed our protocols and the Oklahoma State Department of Health guidelines, which mitigated any spread. We reported this information from the beginning in the spirit of complete transparency.
ODOC has been open about the need for more security staff. The unit dedicated to recruiting new correctional officers is constantly working and has proven successful. Thirty cadets graduated earlier this month, and after receiving hundreds of applications, we are currently interviewing for the next academy. Our attrition rate is on the decline, which is a clear indication of the culture shift within ODOC.ODOC constantly evaluates all operations, making decisions based on data and facts. We continue to work closely with all members of the Legislature, operating in transparency while protecting public safety.”
Oklahoma Department of Corrections statement
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