The Oklahoman
Okla. — Oklahoma made it through the past two broiling summers without a major prison brawl — remarkable, really, considering the state’s lockups are packed with groups that don’t like each other, in facilities that aren’t fully air conditioned.
And, with little to stop inmates if they do decide to rumble.
Only three-fifths of the state’s correctional officer positions are filled. Keeping even that many men and women on the job is difficult because the pay is bad. The starting wage for a prison guard is $11.83 per hour, lower than what the same job pays in neighboring states and certainly below what’s available in local oil field jobs.
It looked for a while during this legislative session that additional funding might be on the way to bump starting pay and provide raises for those now on the job. But the brakes were applied to that legislation after a squabble between the governor’s office and the head of the Department of Corrections over DOC revolving funds.
Full story: As study unfolds, Oklahoma prison guards hoping for a cool August