The Oklahoma Department of Corrections says it needs 45.7 million additional dollars. Corrections Interim director, Ed Evans, presented the budget figures to the State Senate Public Safety Appropriations Committee.
"Thirty-one point five million would go towards funding FY-2014 contracted bed space already in use and anticipated to remain in use," Evan says. "Fourteen point two million would be used for salary adjustments that would aid in the retention and recruitment of needed staff, in particular correctional officers."
That would bring this year’s total budget request to 509 million dollars. Evens says as of today, there are over 26 thousand inmates incarcerated by the state.
His proposal includes over 14 million dollars to address low pay and a high turnover rate among guards.
"I believe it's about 33% or 35% of those officers leave the agency that are within their first 12 months," Evans says.
Evans also requested 13 million dollars in supplemental funding to this year’s budget. Those dollars would be used to reimburse counties for holding state inmates.