Restore T.R.U.S.T.

McAlester, OK – (July 14) Officials with the cash-strapped Oklahoma State Penitentiary and the head of a state employees’ association discussed the possibility of an additional 20% funding cut to Oklahoma’s prison system at a press conference today in McAlester.

Sterling Zearly, head of Oklahoma Public Employees Association and steering committee member of the One Oklahoma Coalition, the group working to defeat State Question 744 said, “It is no secret how tough things have been for correctional facilities’ budgets and correctional workers due to lack of funding. If SQ 744 passes – and the estimated impact of House budget staff come true – we are looking at catastrophic consequences for public safety.”

Tracy Davis, Manager of the H Unit, which houses death row at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary said this of the potential impact of SQ 744, “If we lose another 20% in our funding, I believe that would make doing this job comparable to the 18 months I just spent in Iraq in a combat zone.”

At a state house budget committee hearing last fall, which was convened to estimate the financial impact of SQ 744, multiple state agencies including the department of corrections testified to what a 20% budget cut would mean to their department. For corrections it would eliminate $101 million in state funds.

Jeff Wilson, One Oklahoma campaign manager, further cited comments made by corrections officials at the budget hearing which indicated the impact could also lead to the closure of up to nine state prison facilities, which in turn could lead to the release of as many as 8,400 criminals from both minimum and medium security facilities.

The cuts would likely be needed to pay for the estimated $1 billion increase in spending that would be required under SQ 744 for common education. SQ 744 would be a constitutionally mandated government spending increase that would require the state to spend at minimum the six-state regional average on per-pupil spending. The measure contains no oversight or reforms of how these funds would be spent.

Additionally, the blank check provided by SQ 744 does not identify a funding mechanism to pay for the increased spending. Therefore, state lawmakers would likely have to look at income or sales tax increases, possibly as high as 40 percent, or budget reductions in other agencies as high as 20 percent across-the-board.

Wilson said, “There is a reason these criminals are in this facility. They are unsafe to be in society. State Question 744 would gut the ability of our prison system to stay afloat, and would make it more difficult to keep dangerous criminals locked up where they belong.”

Zearly closed by saying, “The Office of State Finance estimates that 5,000-7,000 state workers would have to be furloughed or fired to meet these draconian cuts. These are real jobs and real families in communities across the state, just like McAlester, that we are talking about. This is a dangerous proposition. I hope voters will read the fine print and vote no.”