Operational Assessment of the Department of Corrections

Summary of Policy Considerations

Policy Considerations

The Legislature may consider the following policy changes:

• Requiring DOC to report a one-year inmate population projection with their annual budget request.
• Requiring DOC to report a five and 10-year inmate population projection before any capital outlay.
• Requiring DOC to annually report per-facility staffing data, including the number of correctional officers and comprehensive salary costs.
• Requiring DOC to adopt an evidence-based budget reflecting the full cost to operate facilities.
• Limiting DOC’s available funds to a figure based on a three-year occupancy average plus population projections. To ensure operational flexibility, consider creating a reserve fund to hold appropriations above the prior three-year average.
• Expanding the responsibilities of the Board of Corrections to have direct oversight and accountability over the Department of Corrections, to include authorization of use for operational funds held in reserve, as well as ensuring realized operational efficiency gains are tracked and deposited into new reserve fund.
• Requiring a joint plan be created by the Legislature and DOC for the purpose of developing a Strategic Decision Criteria Matrix to be used for future investments or consolidation of facilities.
• Require DOC to quantify the “funded but vacant” positions for the purpose of holding those funds in reserve, to be released by the Board of Corrections upon verification that DOC has filed the positions.
• Requiring inclusion of a formal business case study with any agency request for information technology investments. At a minimum, studies should identify the agency’s needs, costs of implementation, implementation period, and expected efficiencies and/or cost savings to the State, and a time frame of when the State can expect a return on investment.

Summary of Agency Recommendations

Agency Considerations

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections should:

• Use forecasted prison populations for both annual budgeting and policy development, review- ing monthly to benchmark to operational goals and assess budget to actuals to minimize budget crises.
• Formally establish data sharing with other criminal justice entities, including the courts and law enforcement agencies, to better understand criminal activity and sentencing trends for the purpose of forecasting long-term operational needs.
• Produce publicly available quarterly reports on the status of the correctional system’s operational capacity and total system operational cost.
• Examine facility cost differentials to identify best practices of more efficient facilities for replication at less efficient facilities.
• Develop a master facility plan that incorporates facility design options that maximize DOC’s current workforce. Additionally, the plan should include the needed investments within each facility to redesign, rebuild, or alter to a level conducive with the health and safety of inmates and correctional staff, based on current staffing levels. The plan should include designs for facility expansion or contraction to meet the current needs of the correctional system. This plan should be updated annually and provided to the Legislature with the agency’s annual budget documents.
• Enhance budgeting practices to specify the individual facilities receiving any program funding or operating funds.
• Create a systemwide behavioral incentive plan for inmates to move from least desirable facilities to more favorable facilities that provide workforce training opportunities and other incentives such as educational and rehabilitation programs. This recommendation is based on the facility operations of Joseph Harp, which is viewed as a best practice.