Corrections Raises On The Table
Oklahoma legislators consider pay raises for corrections officers
by Rick Green
LEXINGTON — Corrections officer Joshua Sparks reports at 6 a.m. for a work shift that is supposed to end at 6 p.m. but often goes three or four hours longer. By the time he makes it around a long road detour and back home to Purcell, all he can do is fall into bed, go to sleep and get ready for work again.
Such is life for state Corrections Department employees. With pay starting at $11.83 an hour, it is so hard to recruit and retain people that massive overtime is required.
The Oklahoma Legislature is considering giving these workers their first raise in eight years. A bill for targeted pay hikes has passed the Oklahoma House and is pending in the Senate. The size of the potential raises is yet to be determined.
Gov. Mary Fallin has proposed raises for troopers and child welfare workers, and budget negotiators are also looking at a potential increase for correctional workers.
“It will take several years to address all the needs, but the governor is hopeful some first steps will be taken this year and in the future,” said Alex Weintz, her spokesman.
Any improvement in pay or reduction in workload can’t come too soon for Sparks, who works at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center. His normal work week is five, 12-hour shifts, but sometimes he is asked to stay longer because of short staffing or to accompany an inmate having a medical procedure, so-called “hospital watch.”