CORRECTIONS CASH: AGENCY BOSS LOOKS FOR HELP

Justin Jones was no stranger to the Legislature before becoming
director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Still, he was
struck by the reaction he received when, shortly after taking over
last fall, he proposed a plan to deal with prison staffing concerns.

"I had a number of closed-door meetings (with lawmakers) after that,"
Jones said, smiling.

Apparently, legislators accustomed to telling the DOC how to manage
its money were taken aback by Jones' initiative. Members also may
have been rankled because they had spent months working on their own
corrections-related plans. But they would be wise to listen to his
concerns and suggestions as this session of the Legislature continues.

Jones wants lawmakers to consider growth in the corrections system
when they settle on a DOC budget. His $708 million budget request for
fiscal year 2007 includes money needed for pay raises throughout the
system and new buildings to house additional maximum- and
medium-security beds. He'd also like to add more single cells for
inmates with mental health issues.

Jones says putting more teeth into community sentencing, drug court
and mental health court legislation could help ease the strain on the
system, which has more than 23,000 inmates including more women, per
capita, than any state. He'd like to see adequate funding for
programs designed to reduce recidivism.

One of Jones' best suggestions is that impact studies be done on any
legislation that may affect corrections. Creating a program that'll
require three people and $100,000 annually may not seem like much,
but that's money and people that might be better used elsewhere in an
agency that maintains a 20 percent vacancy rate in personnel just to
make payroll.

Jones' primary request of lawmakers? "Give us an appropriate budget,
one that will anticipate the expected growth, and then hold us
accountable." That shouldn't get anyone's nose out of joint.