By Curtis Killman
Tulsa World, Okla.
TULS, Okla. — Overtime spending at the state Department of Corrections continues to increase to the point where it now accounts for about half of all overtime spending at state agencies, according to a Tulsa World analysis of state payroll data.
DOC employees earned $35.57 million in overtime in 2025, which is equal to about 48% of all overtime wages paid to state employees in 2025, according to the analysis.
Some DOC employees routinely accrue over 100 hours of overtime during a two-week pay period, according to the analysis.
The 2025 overtime total is slightly less than the $37.48 million DOC spent in 2024 on employee overtime, likely a state record.
Overtime spending at DOC has increased 361% since 2010, when it reported $7.7 million in overtime costs, according to past Tulsa World analysis.
Other state agencies’ overtime spending is well under that at DOC.
In 2025, the Department of Human Services was No. 2 among state agencies in overtime spending.
The agency spent $8.3 million in employee overtime wages in 2025, the analysis shows.
The Department of Public Safety spent about $7.8 million on overtime costs in 2025, making it the No. 3 state agency in terms of amount spent on overtime.
In response, DOC Chief of Public Relations Kay Thompson said, in part, that efforts have been underway to expand recruiting and retention among staff — efforts that she noted have resulted in a decline in overtime spending from 2024 to 2025.
The use of overtime ensures there are no gaps in coverage as some posts require around-the-clock staffing, Thompson said.
Overtime spending at DOC is nothing new.
A 2022 Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency report found that DOC’s “most critical” operational challenge is staffing levels for correctional officers.
The report noted that DOC facilities at the time operated with about 40% to 45% of the needed staff.
The report said DOC needs both short-term and long-term plans for not being fully staffed, warning that understaffing and serious incidents create legal liability for the state.
“From the early 1970s through the mid-1990s, DOC was under supervision of a federal district court, stemming from ongoing civil rights violations,” the report noted. “Staffing shortages were one driver of these conditions, with too few correctional officers available to maintain safety and discipline unless inmates were kept in cells most of each day.”
“Some of these conditions are reemerging,” the report noted.
Bobby Cleveland, executive director of Oklahoma Corrections Professionals, said the No. 1 issue he hears from corrections officers is “not being able to be with their family” due to mandatory overtime.
It is not unusual for some corrections officers to work 10-hour days, seven days a week, Cleveland said.
Cleveland attributed many of the prison deaths to inadequate staffing.
He said a lack of guards at one facility led to inmates being locked down in a shower for two to three days.
He said while the job is difficult, he blamed DOC management for most of the staffing issues.
“It’s not going to get any better under the current administration,” Cleveland said.
Thompson, meanwhile, said, the agency’s overtime “reflects the non-negotiable requirement to safely operate correctional facilities 24/7.”
“Critical safety posts must always be staffed to maintain continuous supervision and ensure the safety of staff, inmates and the public. When vacancies or absences occur, overtime ensures that there are no gaps in coverage.
“This is made possible by our hardworking and dedicated staff, who consistently step up to maintain safe operations.
“We have expanded our recruiting and retention efforts and improved scheduling practices to retain more staff and reduce overtime costs, as evidenced by the reduction in overtime spent” from fiscal year 2024 to FY 2025.
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