Lawmaker airs concerns about safety, abuse in state prisons

“It is time to take this seriously and look at fixing what’s happening, because the next escalation is going to be something serious in the Department of Corrections. I am trying to call that out before that happens,” Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, said in a press conference after the committee meeting.

The DOC released a statement later Wednesday saying the agency “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.”

After refuting specific points, the statement ends with, “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.”

During the meeting, Humphrey handed committee members a “press release” from inmates of Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy. The release details inmate concerns about the way the substance abuse treatment program in the facility is being implemented along with broader concerns about staffing and inmates being kept in lockdown.

“The best results to break the cycle of addiction is for those participants to be separated from the negative influence of drugs. However, ODOC doesn’t understand that concept,” the inmates say in their press release.

They say the prison’s worst unit has been chosen to implement the substance abuse treatment program because it has more than 100 inmates who deal with drug problems but that only 20 will be accepted into the program.

The inmates allege that the Special Management Unit has been full for months and that the prison is now using 20 cells intended for the general inmate population for the overflow. The inmates also report that the unit is under lockdown, meaning inmates are confined to their cells for the whole day.

The press release highlights staffing shortfalls, noting that the DOC is short nine case managers. The inmates blame DOC management for staffing issues.

“If things don’t change soon, they (the DOC) will continue to lose valuable staff who have a passion for the agency, but refuse to be treated disrespectfully or put their lives at risk.”

Humphrey brought up concerns about several deaths in state prisons, including an incident where inmates say another inmate was denied medical care multiple times before he died. He pointed to high rates of overdoses in the prisons, saying he had received reports of five in the past week at the Howard McLeod Correctional Center and four in one day at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

Humphrey also said he receives calls reporting sexual assault in prisons on a regular basis but believes that the DOC files a report on incidents only when they are on video.

“A lot of these people made mistakes,” Humphrey said of inmates during his press conference. “I don’t know about y’all. I made a whole lot of mistakes when I was younger. I was pretty wild. I’ve been to jail a couple of times. I used to fight and drink. And so, again, I think it needs to be a place where we change their behavior, and that’s what we’re not talking about.”

In its response statement, the DOC said Humphrey had not reported any of the rape incidents to the agency “and has continued to make vague statements, which cannot be investigated. No outside law enforcement agency has contacted us about potential rape reports.”

The DOC also said Humphrey’s comment on preventable deaths in its prison “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.”

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