By Sarah Roebuck
Corrections1
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Department of Corrections will require corrections officers in all state facilities to wear body cameras beginning Oct.1, KFOR reports.
The 1,069 body cameras will be distributed to 22 jail facilities.
Earlier in 2024, the ODOC conducted a pilot program in a minimum and maximum security prison, according to KFOR. ODOC officials reported a 40% drop in serious incidents and a 60% reduction in Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) allegations.
“Adding body cams to our correctional officers just adds another layer of transparency to help protect the inmates and our staff,” ODOC Chief of Public Relations Kay Thompson said in a statement.
The installation of the cameras follows a call for reform in Oklahoma prisons made by state lawmakers earlier this year, KFOR reports. During a Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee meeting in March, Rep. J.J. Humphrey criticized the ODOC for neglecting inmates, citing reports of sexual assaults and deaths shared with him by corrections staff.
Thompson told KFOR ODOC believes the body cameras will be a key to fixing those issues.
The body cameras are being paid for by appropriated funds, Thompson said.
