LEXINGTON – Today, at the monthly corrections board meeting, the members of the board unanimously approved a one-time stipend for all employees at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC).
The money will come from the $10.164 million the agency received in September after a revenue failure earlier this year.
Under the adopted plan, each employee who has been with the agency for at least six months will receive $1,750.
Current employees with less than six months tenure will receive the stipend after reaching six months of employment.
Corrections Director Joe M. Allbaugh said although the money is not annualized, the extra funds should help offset the increased cost of insurance and benefits employees will face this year.
“This stipend will help employees offset the increased cost for insurance while giving them a little more in their pockets for their disposal,” Allbaugh said. “The board decided we couldn’t pass on this opportunity to invest in our employees. I deeply appreciate the board’s decision to direct this money in this way.”
Allbaugh added one of his main priorities next legislative session is to give employees a raise that is annualized. With the majority of the department’s employees not seeing any new money in over a decade, this is a step in the right direction.
Corrections Board Chairman Michael Roach said the finance and legal office are working on details of how the department will distribute the money.
“There are some hurdles legally and statutorily we will have to navigate before we can distribute this money,” Roach said. “It is time we recognize the hard work and sacrifice of the department’s employees. It has been far too long.”
Wardens appointed
The corrections board approved a series of appointments of acting wardens made since the September meeting.
Casey Hamilton will fill the vacancy at Northeast Oklahoma Correctional Center in Vinita. Jeorld Braggs will become the warden at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center in Lexington, succeeding Jim Farris, who will assume the same role at the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Taft.
Hamilton has been with the DOC for eight years and previously served as a warden’s assistant at the James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena.
Farris has been with the DOC for 26-years, starting his career as a correctional officer and worked his way through the ranks. He will take over the warden’s role for Arthur Lightle, who is retiring.
Braggs began his career at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a program administrator in 1994. While he was with the TDCJ, he worked as a warden’s assistant and as a substance abuse caseload officer and probation officer. He most recently served as the assistant warden of operations and programs for the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing.
Allbaugh said each individual brings different skill sets to the facilities they will be working at.
“Each of these men has spent their entire careers in corrections,” Allbaugh said. “They have taken different paths, but those experiences will benefit them in their new roles. I appreciate the board’s decision to approve these appointments.”
Chairman Roach said the appointments will give new people a fresh look at the facilities and find ways to improve operations.
“Being a warden at any prison will never be an easy task,” Roach said. “These men have the skill, background and work ethic to be very successful for the department and these facilities. I applaud the selection and my colleague’s decision to uphold their appointments.”
Update on Lexington Water Outage
Director Allbaugh notified the board three of the four water pumps that failed last month that supply water to the two Lexington prisons have been fully repaired or replaced. The final pump is being evaluated.
The cost for the three pumps is $36,608.40.
The result of the outage caused a water outage at the Lexington Correctional Center.
Read more on the water outage and what the DOC did in response, here.
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