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| Corrections director speaks to the future of OSP |
| By mcalesternews.com- Parker Perry, James Beaty & Glenn Puit |
| Published: 02/22/2016 |
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The Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester is in rough shape. The more than a-century-old facility needs a new boiler, the cost of which will run in the millions. Fences and related electronics need repair. Some locks on doors and cells don’t work all the time in a facility currently at 122 percent capacity for incarcerating inmates. Making problems even worse is the fact that coming up with the money to make the needed repairs at OSP is beyond challenging considering the state of Oklahoma is staring down the barrel of a $1.3 billion budget hole. With this in mind, newly appointed Department of Corrections Interim Director Joe Allbaugh tells the News- Capital OSP — and every other state-owned prison facility run by the Department of Corrections — will be subject to a thorough assessment as far as its condition and cost to operate. Does this, however, mean OSP, a historic pillar of the McAlester community and an economic powerhouse for Pittsburg County, is in danger of closing? “On day 41 (on the job,) I haven’t even gotten that far to make that determination,” Allbaugh said. “What we need to do is have an assessment throughout the system. Some facilities are in better shape than other facilities. The whole system is aging rather rapidly. Read More. |
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