Drop-ins welcome
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Watching the watchers
One of the newer bills being introduced by Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, is HB3082, which would allow any state elected official to enter any state prison at any time to inspect conditions and interview staff and inmates.
Humphrey, who chairs the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee, told Oklahoma Watch in November he would look to boost prison accountability in response to reports of poor conditions at the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton.
An incident happened last year at Great Plains in which dozens of prisoners were confined to 3-by-2.5-foot shower stalls for several hours or days due to backlogs in the facility’s restricted housing unit.
Is this bill needed?
Corrections department spokesperson Kay Thompson spoke in response to the proposal and said the agency has an open door policy with elected officials, so this new law isn’t really needed.
If passed, this law would become effective on November 1, 2024.
Starting on November 1, 2024, all elected state officials in Oklahoma can visit any prison run by the Department of Corrections without telling the Department beforehand.