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Oklahoma Correctional Officers Concerned About Prison Overcrowding

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A group that represents Oklahoma correctional officers says state prisons could end up dangerously understaffed if proposed cost-saving measures take effect.

In a letter to Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton, the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals says it has "grave concerns" about plans to eliminate 12-hour shifts by reducing the number of officers required on security posts.

Oklahoma has struggled to keep its prisons staffed while its inmate population rises. The Tulsa World reports that a 2013 survey showed the state's ratio of correctional officers to offenders was the worst among at least 49 states.

In recent years, DOC turned to 12-hour instead of eight-hour shifts to keep posts filled at several of the state's prisons.

Sean Wallace, the director of OCP, says state correctional officers are worried about safety.

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