More Prisoners headed For Oklahoma

Tuesday, June 19th 2007, 5:54 pm

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona has nearly filled vacancies in the ranks of its corrections officers but still lacks space for thousands of inmates, keeping the state in the market for prison beds in other states, including Oklahoma.

That word came Tuesday from Arizona Corrections Director Dora Schriro.

She says Arizona is contracting for additional beds at a Watonga, Oklahoma, prison already housing some Arizona inmates and that her state is planning to send inmates to a prison in Hinton, Oklahoma, for the first time.

Schriro expressed confidence that her department would be able to staff new or expanded prisons providing 4,000 new public beds included in the Arizona Legislature's bipartisan budget for the fiscal year.

The budget also authorizes 2,000 additional private beds.