Oklahoma’s prisons have long been overcrowded and underfunded. For example, the state’s three women’s prisons are at 129 percent of capacity.
To make matters worse, there is a shortage of corrections officers in the state.
Department of Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh recently called the state prison system “a sinking ship.”
As Oklahoma Watch reports, Oklahoma’s prisons could be primed for a federal takeover. But after years of threats, the feds have yet to take over the system. In fact, instances of the federal government taking over a state prison system are “unusual and scattered.”
But it has happened before, even in Oklahoma, and many observers in the state think it’s time for the U.S. Government to come in and clean up Oklahoma’s prison mess.
Asked whether he thought it could happen, Director Allbaugh said, “We’ll see,” though he added that he hated the thought of the feds coming in.