Okla. Senator Plans Probe Into Prisoner Drug Use

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A Republican state senator from Norman is conducting a legislative hearing into whether drug use among prisoners in Oklahoma is a growing problem.

Prison workers, mental health officials and representatives of faith-based recovery groups are among those scheduled to testify Tuesday as part of the hearing before the Senate Public Safety Committee.

Sen. Rob Standridge requested the interim study to study whether drug use among prison inmates in Oklahoma is a major problem.

With nearly 27,000 inmates, Oklahoma’s incarceration rate is one of the highest in the nation. Its incarceration rate for women has been the highest in the country for more than a decade.

Drug possession and distribution are among the top offenses for Oklahoma inmates, accounting for more than one-quarter of all prisoners in the state.