Former employees at Oklahoma prisons share what conditions are like inside the DOC

Oklahoma State Representative J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, brought three former employees who were leaders at state prisons to the Criminal Justice and Corrections committee meeting to share the many problems they experienced working for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

OKLAHOMA (KFOR) - Oklahoma State Representative J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, brought three former employees who were leaders at state prisons to the Criminal Justice and Corrections committee meeting to share the many problems they experienced working for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC).

They are calling for a change and they say something needs to be done quickly. They’re echoing calls for an outside investigation along with Rep. Humphrey.  

“You all are bringing some credibility. It's going to take us all. I think this is something that needs to be brought to our state, and I think we can fix it,” said Rep. Humphrey.  

Luke Pettigrew and Jason Lemons worked over 20 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Julie Thompson worked for the ODOC for 10 years. 

All three recently held leadership roles inside Oklahoma prisons. They shared what conditions they experienced working at the ODOC. 

“I'm here because I care for the department... What we're facing today, it's just scary,” said Luke Pettigrew, former ODOC employee. 

The former employees are now speaking out against the ODOC and calling for change inside the state prison system. They are hoping to be a voice for current employees.  

“I've never seen anything like the shape of the Department of Correction is in right now. And these guys have been trying to tell people, and I don't understand what's going on. It’s falling on deaf ears. I just don't get it,” said Jason Lemons, former ODOC employee. 

All three former employees highlighted the major problems they experienced. The biggest one they pointed out is staffing issues. They also claim the ODOC manipulates staffing numbers. 

“So, every bit of this, the violence going on, the manipulation, the shortage of staff... If somebody would just take the time and do an actual investigation versus inside, you can find this information easy,” said Jason Lemons, former ODOC employee.  

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Kay Thompson said she stands behind their numbers.

She said, “Current security staff to inmate numbers as of today. Agencywide security staff: 1,329. Inmates at state facilities: 18,850. Ratio: 14:1. We do not release facility-specific or shift-specific numbers due to security concerns. No corrections department figures staffing ratios based on shifts.” 

However, others at the meeting on Wednesday said those numbers are far from true.  

“We have a total of 1,250 inmates. So as chief of security, I would run that prison with 12 to 14 officers total for the whole ship and calculating it, I would be 26. 26 (correctional officers) is what I need to run that prison properly,” said Lemons. 

Other issues brought up at the meeting include violence inside the prisons. The former staff said the violence is at an all-time high, and with not enough staff, employees fear for their safety.  

“We’re getting to a point now to where something serious is going to happen. We're going to have a major riot or there's going to be some officers getting killed,” said Lemons. 

In response to that claim, the ODOC shared with KFOR the following data showing inmate to inmate assault numbers from the last two fiscal years: 

Thompson with the ODOC said, “There has not been a statistically significant increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults. The data shows that violence has trended down over the last few months due to our strategic population moves. Our serious inmate-on-staff assaults consistently range between 0-4 per month for the last two fiscal years.” 

Thompson adds, “We have seen a significant reduction in serious inmate-on-inmate assaults after making strategic populations moves we made later in 2023.” 

The former employees also mentioned employees are scared to speak up in fear of retaliation or termination. 

“My supervisor and I have conversations about being terrified of losing our jobs... I drove home to Kansas in absolute tears and fears,” said Julie Thompson, former ODOC employee.  

In response, Thompson with the ODOC said, “The director has an open door policy and encourages staff to speak up. He also does a monthly virtual call where he takes questions live and answers all questions not responded to during the call. We do not tolerate retaliation and respond accordingly to reports.” 

Rep. Humphrey along with the three former employees are now working to subpoena several records from the ODOC including the daily rosters to get the official staffing numbers.