OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Prison workers across Oklahoma who were denied a raise in a $7.1 billion budget deal say they feel trapped in the crossfire of a political dispute between the governor and the state's prison director over how much money the agency has available in several revolving accounts.
The governor has been critical of Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones over discrepancies about how much was available in the accounts. Jones says there was never any intent to hide money in the accounts and that any discrepancies were the result of how much had already been allocated for various projects.
Sean Wallace heads a group that represents corrections workers. He says the spat over the revolving accounts is a "convenient excuse to give DOC nothing."