‘I Fear A Riot’: Oklahoma State Lawmaker Calls For Pay Raise To Help Recruit Corrections Staff

An Oklahoma lawmaker is calling on leadership in the state government and the Department of Corrections to help recruit staff. 

“We're very shorthanded. Dangerously shorthanded,” said Rep. Justin Humphrey, a Republican from Lane. 

There are 314 job openings at the DOC, according to spokesperson Justin Wolf. The agency is also conducting a statewide staffing analysis with help from an outside company, which will be presented to lawmakers before the next session. 

“What we are looking for with this staffing analysis is an objective measure of our staffing needs, which is what we’ve never had previously,” Wolf said. 

Low staffing levels raise the risk of violence inside corrections facilities. Humphrey said the risk is high right now. 

“I fear a riot. I fear a hostage situation,” Humphrey said. “We have a very critical situation that could turn really bad, and we need people to step up and admit that we have a problem.” 

Staff can shift facilities to accommodate shortages, Wolf said. 

“If the (staffing) levels ever look like they’re getting low, we have units that we can move around between facilities to ensure that we maintain staffing levels that are safe, Wolf said. “For example, today all of our facilities are operating with a safe amount of staff, by current standards.” 

Humphrey said he does not blame the state or DOC for the shortage, but that it must be addressed to prevent injuries or deaths inside prisons. 

To start, Humphrey said lawmakers and the department should find a way to increase corrections officer pay in order to entice workers to stay on board. 

“At this point, it’s not competitive,” Humphrey said. “And so, we’re going to have to talk about getting a pay scale up to where we can recruit.” 

Factors outside of pay could also impact the agency’s ability to recruit workers, such as culture, reputation and work conditions. 

Wolf said Friday that there are nine facilities where at least one inmate unit is without air conditioning. 

“We have to deal with the monetary,” Humphrey said. “But… we have to deal with the treatment of our employees.”