Every state agency is tasked with being good stewards of appropriated monies, and they take this directive very seriously. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is no different. During the last legislative session, ODOC submitted, and will again for the 2024 legislation session, a flat budget request. During today’s hearing, ODOC Executive Director Steven Harpe requested an appropriation of $552 million. ODOC’s total Fiscal Year 2024 budget is $643.2 million, including $68.1 million in revolving funds and $2.8 million in federal dollars.
The agency has proactively found efficiencies that protect the taxpayers’ dollars through innovations, including upgrading technology and streamlining operational processes, thus allowing for this flat request. The process-streamlining initiative began when Director Harpe and the executive staff evaluated ODOC’s operations through SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis and determined what areas needed improvement, creating a two-year strategic plan broken down into more than 300 tasks. Harpe and his team meet weekly to review the agency’s progress. The agencywide changes are accomplished through the efforts of all ODOC’s dedicated workforce.
To help support these employees, ODOC provided brand-new computers to the entire agency. This much-needed refresh helps its hard-working employees accomplish their daily tasks more efficiently, allowing them to get through their workload faster. Approximately 1,000 computers were deployed in all prison facilities at the end of October 2023, replacing outdated devices. Probation and Parole and Administration employees will receive updated computers during phase two. New computers will be deployed to the remaining employees once their computer leases expire.
ODOC recently completed phase two of developing and implementing the innovative new record-keeping system, Inmate and Community Offender Network, or ICON. It is a state-of-the-art, cloud-based offender management system that replaces antiquated software and paper-based processes. The program provides more automation, reducing time spent on required tasks and human error. ODOC will roll out three more phases during the last two years of the project and is expected to recognize a reduction of administrative full-time employees after phase four, reducing payroll costs.
Director Harpe will also present ODOC’s cost savings realized through restructuring facility operations in 2023. In early 2023, the Oklahoma City Community Corrections Center was closed, and the inmates moved to the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, Okla., reducing facility maintenance and payroll costs. ODOC also closed the North Fork Correctional Center in Sayre, Okla., and opened the Great Plains Correctional Center in Hinton, Okla., in mid-2023. This move had an actual lease cost savings of $3.7 million during Fiscal Year 2023 and has the same projected annual cost savings during fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Another cost-saving effort by the agency is hiring more medical staff to reduce the need and cost of contract medical services. This will save a projected $3 million during FY 2024. By adding additional qualified medical, mental health, and dental employees, ODOC will use those saved monies to invest in updating medical equipment. The agency will also use telemedicine for specialized and psychiatric appointments, reducing transportation costs and allowing staff to stay at their regular duty post.
To help facilitate the flat-budget request, Director Harpe challenged agency leaders to develop an innovation plan to reduce expenditures or workload by 20%. This initiative will further help ODOC be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ dollars.
“It is our responsibility to ensure we take care of those incarcerated in our system while adhering to a strict budget. By embracing forward-thinking approaches, ODOC can become a more efficient and effective correctional system while still protecting public safety,” Director Harpe stated. “That is why I set this goal, to modernize our processes and to serve our employees and inmates better.”
Outside the standard operating budget appropriation request, ODOC will ask for $8.3 million by creating the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Prison Rodeo Revolving Fund. This fund will be solely for upgrading and rehabilitating the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Prison Rodeo arena. Reviving the OSP Prison Rodeo will create prison program opportunities and promote economic development. ODOC has already invested $1 million in rollover into repairing the arena.
“Bringing back the beloved rodeo is very exciting,” Director Harpe said. “We’re ready to begin the process and see Oklahomans fill the stands and be entertained. The inmates are also excited about the reinstatement of the rodeo and want to be involved.”
ODOC, like other state agencies, has its challenges. Staffing levels are one issue that plagues corrections agencies nationwide. ODOC will reinvest monies into its current and potential workforce – focusing on recruiting and retaining employees in rural areas by attracting qualified candidates through improving work culture and communication, more closely meeting industry-standard pay, and accurately accessing needs based on job requirements.
Year after year, ODOC remains steadfast in its commitment to fiscal responsibility and efficiency, which is evident in its proactive approach to cost-saving measures and strategic initiatives. Despite challenges, ODOC remains focused on addressing staffing issues and enhancing its workforce, reaffirming its commitment to modernization, efficiency, and public safety while protecting taxpayers’ dollars.
