Audit Finds Oklahoma Prisons Need $55 Million Investment

OKLAHOMA CITY — The antiquated, underfunded state prison system is in need of a $55 million investment and a strategic policy overhaul to improve safety and efficiency, according to an independent audit.

In a report to the state Legislature, Florida-based public sector management research and consulting firm MGT of America Inc. recommends the immediate appropriation of $25 million to the state prison system and a $30 million increase in the Department of Corrections budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

More than $5 million should be allocated to hire additional correctional and parole officers, according to the report. However, an $18 million cost-cutting plan could offset the recommended increases in investment.

State appropriations to the DOC remained relatively stagnant between 2002 and 2005, at approximately $400 million, officials say.

MGT was commissioned by the Legislature to complete a comprehensive performance review with a primary focus on developing steps to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
The review was also instigated to plan for future growth of the prison population, which is projected to increase from 25,000 inmates to 29,000 inmates by 2016.

Many state prison facilities are antiquated and in very poor condition. Serious deterioration in the department’s physical plant and infrastructure present a risk to the health and safety of staff and inmates, according to the report.

Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester dates back to 1908, and several other state prison facilities were constructed during the 1970s and 1980s.

The department requested $573 million for 2009, which includes funds to operate more than 1,000 new beds. A $310 million bond program was proposed to fund construction of new state prisons that would provide more than 3,800 beds.

The MGT report recommends the use of private prisons to expand system capacity to meet future inmate population growth.

The audit’s recommendation for immediate investment includes nearly $14 million to secure 660 maximum-security beds at Davis Correctional Facility, which is operated by Corrections Corporation of America.

In addition to expanding capacity and updating facilities, the audit recommends a comprehensive review of sentencing policies, which it cites as the primary factor driving increases in the state’s prison population.

As part of its cost-cutting plan, MGT recommends a review of the structure, guidelines and performance of diversionary drug courts that have failed to yield significant decreases in the prison population.

Offenders who fail to complete the program are sentenced to an average of 17 months in prison, compared to extended probation or short jail terms that other states use to punish offenders, according to the report.

Noting that Oklahoma has parole rates significantly lower than other states — in 1998, the parole rate dropped to 7.5 percent — the report also recommends transferring responsibility for routine parole decisions to the state’s Pardon and Parole Board. Oklahoma is the only state where the governor must approve all parole requests.

The department’s Board of Corrections should be abolished or limited to an advisory role, according to the report.