Oklahoma Rep. Justin Humphrey wants an investigation of the Department of Corrections because of on-going reports of more violence, abuse and rapes in Oklahoma prisons.

Humphrey says he has been warning about staffing problems in the DOC for three years. Now, he says it is worse than he ever imagined.

“Three years ago, we were saying that you’re going to see more drugs come in, more crime in the yards,” Humphrey said. You’re going to see more violence between inmates. You’re going to see violence from inmates to staff.”

Issues keep coming up inside Oklahoma prisons, all caused by what Humphrey calls bad management and corruption by the DOC.

Humphrey said, “We found them putting people in a two by two scale.” “They confessed that. They said, well, we were doing that because we were moving them from one side to the other. But I have written proof from their own employees that it was for punishment, and that they denied them food and water.”

Humphrey says the DOC has been covering up the truth about what happens inside prisons for years.

‘We heard that a person was stabbed about 70 times, their head was nearly cut off and they were thrown in a trash bin and not found for 7 hours,” Humphrey said. “I think that’s stuff that matters and that we should know. I’m the head of corrections and I had to learn that through the back channels.”

He says there is one main reason for the increase in violence.

“The problem is they lack staff,” Humphrey said. “They don’t have enough people to do the work.”

Now, Humphrey is requesting the Department of Labor, the attorney general and maybe even the FBI to probe the DOC.

“We’re going to face lawsuits and it’s going to cost the state or we’re going to have a big fight and we’re going to have deaths,” Humphrey said. “We already have deaths. We have people hurt. When do we say enough is enough?”

The DOC replied to Humphrey’s allegations and his plan to seek an investigation.

“The Oklahoma Department of Corrections knows about the letter by Representative Justin Humphrey, which makes several claims. At this time, we will address some of the errors.

ODOC has no record or knowledge of any inmate being bound and raped for hours. If true, this horrible act must be examined thoroughly, and those involved must be held accountable. We invite Rep. Humphrey to send us the details about the mentioned incident. ODOC staff work hard to keep inmates and fellow staff members safe. We react quickly to incidents and give any needed medical care as soon as possible.

Sadly, violent acts do happen in prisons; but, looking at one or two incidents does not show how ODOC is running and protecting staff and those in prison.

Inmate-on-inmate assaults have not risen significantly in the last six months. Inmate-on-staff assaults have decreased in the same period.

Contraband cellphones endanger public safety. Employees use modern technology and traditional methods to fight the entry of cell phones into our facilities every day.

We have seized or disabled over 5,000 cellphones in the last year.

ODOC does not hide money. Every year, a clear budget request, with a plan and spending history, is given to the legislature.

Trying to hide money would be harmful – a risk no ODOC employee, past or present, is ready to take. By improving processes and finding efficiencies, the agency could afford a one-time performance-based bonus.

The performance bonuses were given per Oklahoma Statute §74-840-2.17, a law since 2002. ODOC keeps being a good manager of taxpayers’ money while rewarding its staff for their commitment to the State of Oklahoma, public safety, and changing lives.

The method of performance review, which has been used in private industry for a long time, has been a state norm since 2019. ODOC started using calibration in early 2022 before Director Harpe joined the agency.

Also, Director Harpe did not get a raise when he became the director of ODOC. He has been paid the same since July 2021, when Governor Stitt made him the state chief operating officer.

In the last few months, Director Harpe has advocated for fair pay for employees. Captains now get overtime pay, which will motivate more qualified security staff to seek promotions, and all food service workers got a much-needed pay raise.

The pay of other job positions are being reviewed now. Director Harpe also brought in a technology update for the whole agency, getting rid of old computers that slowed down employees from doing their work efficiently.