DOC advances bond plan for prison maintenance

The Oklahoma Board of Corrections on Thursday advanced bond plans for maintenance and construction efforts at existing prisons.

The $116.5 million in bonds was authorized by the Legislature this year and could be finalized this week by the state bond adviser. The bonds would fund items ranging from new roofs and locks for cell doors, to lighting and plumbing needs at the state’s aging prison system.

There were some earlier media reports that indicated the bonds might be used to expand the state’s inmate capacity, but doing so would require a separate round of borrowing.

At its meeting, the board took the first step toward reaching that goal by adopting a resolution to solicit information for the design, funding, and construction of new correctional facilities and new housing units. Once the information is collected, it will be presented to the board at a later meeting.

Officials at the Department of Corrections have called for the Legislature to authorize the construction of two new prisons.

Lawmakers said there would likely be enough bond capacity to pay for it, but they asked Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh to come up with more detailed plans about where they would be built and how much they would cost. On Thursday, Allbaugh reported that state facilities were at 113 percent of capacity and even with criminal justice reforms enacted last session, the state’s prison population is expected to grow by 2,367 inmates by 2026.

“We want to move forward with plans to identify locations, costs and funding mechanisms for new facilities to help with the extreme overcrowding at DOC,” Allbaugh said. “We are simply bursting at the seams with inmates.”