By Janelle Stecklein Cnhi
Claremore Daily Progress
OKLAHOMA CITY — The interim head of the Department of Corrections says the state needs to close some of its ailing prisons.
Joe M. Allbaugh stopped short of naming facilities that he believes should be closed during an interview last week.
But in 15 or 16 surprise visits to facilities across the state, Allbaugh said he’s discovered a system running on “baling wire and pliers,” just trying to make it through each day.
“We have a whole host of facilities that need to be closed down,” said Allbaugh, who had been on the job just 32 days. “They are a danger to our population. They’re a danger to our corrections officers and a danger to our administrative staff. It’s just a matter of time before we have a serious incident.”
Allbaugh, 63, was appointed last month after Robert Patton abruptly quit to take a job in Arizona. Allbaugh previously served as chief of staff to Texas Gov. George W. Bush, headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was most recently CEO of a consulting business. He said he hasn’t spoken with Patton.
He didn’t mince words as he described the troubles he saw.
“It’s about a broken system that horribly needs attention and needs to be fixed, and everybody in the this state has ownership of how it got this bad and how we need to fix it,” he said.
Allbaugh said it will cost more than $750 million to repair the aged and ailing infrastructure. His prescription comes as lawmakers and officials cut department budgets to make ends meet, and face a shortfall of at least $900 million as they put together a spending plan for the coming year.
“We need to close some facilities, and that’s going to cause a lot of pain, particularly with people who don’t believe their facility should be at risk,” he said. “And I understand that.
“But either we gain some efficiencies in the system, or give me more money to build the prison,” he said.
The state’s prisons are already battling overcrowding issues. As of Wednesday, they were about 122 percent over capacity, he said. More than 28,000 inmates are housed in Oklahoma prisons.
Allbaugh said the state should look to private prisons for a solution, and consider asking for proposals to reopen the two private facilities that stand empty in Sayre and Watonga.
“I’m not a fan of private prisons, but in this particular case they are a relief valve for the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “Right now, what is saving our bacon are the private prisons.”
Nearly 6,000 state inmates are currently housed in private prisons.
Among the woes that Allbaugh said he’s encountered during surprise visits to prisons are bad morale; untrained cadets who are put in potentially dangerous situations; good programs lacking support or space to expand; a broken boiler at the State Penitentiary in McAlester that will cost $2.8 million to replace; doors and locks in cells that don’t work; and inmates at community centers and halfway houses who are not properly supervised.
“I’ve seen and tasted bad food. I’ve seen holes in fences. I’ve seen our electronic fences that are not working,” he said.
Gus Blackwell, a former lawmaker and spokesman for Oklahoma Corrections Professionals, said corrections employees have been “awed” by Allbaugh’s visits and the fact that he spends one-on-one time with them to truly grasp the issues they face.
Blackwell said it might be hard for Allbaugh to get a true picture when a warden knows he’s coming and can prepare for the visit. The “true picture,” he added, is what he needs to see and share with lawmakers
What happens next, Blackwell said, will come down to money. If Allbaugh can find a way to house inmates cheaper, he might be able to sell lawmakers on his plan.
Still, Blackwell said he doesn’t necessarily support closing prisons.
“I’m not sure if I’d be in favor of completely closing those, but I know at least some of them need to have the offender count drastically reduced,” he said.
Allbaugh side-stepped questions about whether he’s interested in taking on the job permanently, saying the decision is up to the Department of Corrections’ advisory board.
For now, he said he’s accustomed to making tough decisions and has the ability to enforce those decisions.
He also believes in holding people accountable.
“There is a problem in the Department of Corrections, and the governor, the Legislature and society as a whole has ownership of this problem,” he said.
Copyright 2016 the Claremore Daily Progress