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| Older Okla. inmate population means lower violence, higher medical needs |
| By newsok.com - Graham Lee Brewer |
| Published: 11/20/2013 |
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The Oklahoma State Reformatory here was built in 1909, and its stone walls seem old. The 1,000 inmates housed within those walls are also on the old side.v In July 2012, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections removed every inmate under the age of 40, sent them to other facilities and replaced them with older offenders. The move came after guards at the understaffed prison struggled to combat high levels of violence. That shift appears to be working. According to incident reports, in 2012, the medium-security facility in far western Oklahoma had 27 cases of battery, 53 cases of intentional injury and 35 assaults. Part of the problem was a difficulty filling dozens of correctional officer and staff positions, Warden Tracy McCollum said.v Officers at the state reformatory start off making around $11 per hour. People either found better paying work in the oil fields or were reluctant to work at a place known for physical assaults, both among prisoners and on officers. “That's all people knew about us,” McCollum said. “You came to work constantly with the thought of violence on your mind.” Read More. |
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