By Keaton Ross | Oklahoma Watch
Aug 2, 2021
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A gate is seen outside of one of the inmate housing units at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington.
Whitney Bryen / Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Watch
State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, has spent much of the summer sounding the alarm over Oklahomaâs prison understaffing problem.
On June 18 he asked Gov. Kevin Stitt to declare a state of emergency, arguing that low staffing numbers have elevated the risk of riots and violence in state prisons. Heâs appeared on weekly Facebook Live broadcasts with Bobby Cleveland, director of the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals group, to provide updates on what heâs hearing from prison workers.