Corrections director pitches $52M safety projects within $165M infrastructure need, cites $10M ICE revenue

Justin Farris, the new director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, outlined operational changes and capital priorities in his first budget hearing before the Legislature. Farris said the department purchased Red Rock Correctional Center into DOC ownership, implemented a new ICON backbone for records and is rolling out electronic health records after winning a $4.5 million federal grant to support the transition.

Ashley Clemons, DOC chief financial officer, described several cost-saving steps including a partnership with Lindsay Hospital to access 340B pricing (which she said yielded several million dollars in diverted pharmacy costs) and privatization of canteen operations to a bag-and-drop model.

Farris warned of large infrastructure needs across the system—he said the department identified roughly $165 million in needed projects, with about $52 million categorized as immediate safety and security priorities such as fire suppression, door controls and fence alarms. He proposed applying ICE reimbursements (cited at about $833,000 per month, approximately $10 million a year) toward safety projects and said the department will seek an outside evaluation to scope long-term infrastructure costs.

Operational pilots and technology initiatives drew detailed discussion: DOC is piloting mobile, tablet-based probation check-ins (roughly 1,600 participants soon after launch), moving to digital mail to reduce contraband and moving pharmacy services to prepackaged pill packs to cut pill-line time. The department requested $2 million for jail backup (reflecting a per-diem change under SB 85) and $2 million for ICON maintenance/support, totaling $4 million in near-term requests.

Members pressed for pharmacy totals and program participation metrics; DOC said annual pharmacy spend is about $15 million and agreed to provide additional data.