AS INMATE COUNT GROWS, SO DO PROBLEMS

DURING this final month of the legislative session, Oklahoma lawmakers
are getting tugged in every direction by various constituencies
seeking a little more money with which to do their jobs. One of the
more compelling arguments comes from the Department of
Corrections.

Prison guards used a recent news conference at the Capitol to talk
about morale issues and safety concerns as a result of being
understaffed by nearly 600 systemwide. Their plea for an additional
$12 million to fill that gap is one that legislators should consider
thoughtfully because the problem isn't going away.

Oklahoma's prison population stood at about 6,000 in 1984. It had
grown to 8,900 by the end of that decade, swelled to about 15,000 by
1996 and now stands at more than 23,000 prisoners.

Oklahoma's ratio of 684 inmates per every 100,000 people places the
state third nationally, behind Louisiana (814) and Texas (704). Our
state and federal prison population grew 7.7 percent from June 2003 to
June '04, compared with the national average of 2.1 percent.

Gary Jones, head of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, has
written to Gov. Brad Henry and legislative leaders urging them to more
adequately finance the DOC. Not only does the system lack prison
guards, it also needs more probation and parole officers, Jones
pointed out.

Four recent brawls at Oklahoma prisons underscore the problem. Three
fights took place in state-run prisons, including the lockup in Hominy
where 33 were injured.

Corrections was appropriated about $384 million last year, roughly 7.5
percent of the state's $5.1 billion budget. That's slightly more than
the norm; on average, states spend about 6 percent of their general
fund budgets on corrections.

We have suggested the state entertain ways to reduce the number of
inmates entering the system, through such devices as drug courts and
community sentencing. There are now drug courts in 39 counties across
Oklahoma, with more planned. Some groups have recommended doing away
with mandatory prison sentences for drug offenses.

Another, far less popular, option is to release more prisoners.
Failing that, the state needs to be willing to spend enough to keep
prisons adequately staffed. It's a difficult issue, one that requires
strong leadership to make a difference.