Representative Justin Humphrey

R

District 19

Hi, I'm Justin Humphrey and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 19th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Mar 26, 2025
Recent Posts

Humphrey Again Asks AG for Opinion on DOC Director

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today again asked Oklahoma's attorney general for his legal opinion on several matters regarding Steven Harpe, director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Humphrey said at a 2023 interim study he held on prison sexual assault, Director Harpe stated that a federal auditor had considered Oklahoma to be one of the top states for meeting federal anti-rape standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Humphrey said the auditor later refuted this claim to an Oklahoma media outlet, stating no such comment was made and that such statements would violate federal rules regarding impartiality. "This discrepancy raises concerns about the accuracy and integrity of statements made by Director Harpe," Humphrey said in the email to the attorney general. Humphrey was chair of the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee at the time of the study. He is now vice chair of the House Public Safety Committee. "Furthermore, during the 2023 House Public Safety budget hearings, Director Harpe reported a $90,000 salary increase, allegedly transferred from his prior position as director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services," Humphrey wrote, also contending that he believes it is illegal to transfer salaries between agencies in this manner. Humphrey continued, "Additionally, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections verified in response to an open records request that there is no record of any authorization for this salary increase. Director Harpe later wrote to legislators, stating that any salary increase for the director must be approved by the governor." Given these circumstances, Humphrey said he would appreciate the attorney general's legal opinion on the following: Does the director of an agency, such as director Harpe, need to be sworn in to be legally required to provide truthful and honest statements? Based on the alleged false statements made during the two House meetings, could Director Harpe be charged with perjury? Is Director Harpe's action of increasing his own salary without authorization a case of embezzlement? If so, which agency would be responsible for investigating and prosecuting these alleged crimes? In light of Director Harpe's alleged lies about sexual assaults in the Department of Corrections and the possibility of a cover-up, would you consider reopening an investigation into the evidence of these allegations? Humphrey thanked the attorney general for his time and service and said he looked forward to his response and any further guidance he can provide on these serious concerns.

Mar 24, 2025
Recent Posts

Humphrey Comments on Legislation to Deal with Agency Scandals

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today commented on two bills he filed this year that would abolish the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), placing it under the Department of Corrections (DOC), and that would rename the latter to the Department of Corruption. "Recently, I was harshly criticized for filing these bills," Humphrey said. "Please allow me to explain why I would use extreme measures to expose the unscrupulous actions of certain state agencies." Humphrey, the vice chair of the House Public Safety Committee and a member of the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee, said he filed House Bill 1343 because he believes the ODMHSAS has failed to provide adequate mental health facilities across the state. "This has resulted in thousands of inmates in our jails and prisons who have mental health issues," he said. "Oklahoma jails are not equipped with mental health facilities or staff adequately trained to deal with those with such disabilities. Thus, our jails have been inundated with lawsuits. Because of these, our jails risk losing their insurance coverage. This means taxpayers could be on the hook for incredible increases in their taxes." The only relief for county jails, Humphrey said, is to move inmates to prisons. This has resulted in thousands of such inmates being received by DOC, which he said is equally ill-equipped to properly house or treat this number of mentally ill offenders. An inmate was killed at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility earlier this month. Humphrey says he has received tips the inmate was beheaded. He said the immediate reaction would be to blame the facility, but he suggested taking a closer look. "It is my understanding the Department of Corrections dumped countless mental health inmates in this center," Humphrey said. "Many inmates with untreated mental health disorders may turn violent, and the Lawton Correctional Facility is not equipped to manage this properly. I believe the Department of Corrections intentionally placed a shocking number of mental health inmates at this facility knowing it could create a catastrophe. "You don’t need a degree in corrections to know this would result in deadly consequences. This begs the question, why would the Department of Corrections assign a huge number of high-risk inmates to a facility they have openly criticized? Why would the Department of Corrections intentionally sabotage this private facility?"  Oklahoma contracts with the GEO Group, a private prison company, which runs the Lawton Facility and the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton. Humphrey said it's his understanding the contracts provide housing for between 4,000 to 4,500 inmates between the two facilities. "In the past, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections was this private prison company's only option for leasing their facility," he said. "However, presently the federal government is looking for prison space to house illegal migrants. What does all this mean? It means the governor and DOC have placed Oklahoma in the most dreadful, wretched negotiation position ever." Humphrey said DOC has mentioned the possible purchase of the Lawton prison for approximately $314 million. The facility is 27 years old and has some structural issues. "To my knowledge the Department of Corrections has offered no bids for the cost of building a new facility and has failed to offer any alternatives to place thousands of high-risk inmates," he said. Instead, Humphrey believes that placing a large number of high-risk patients with mental health disorders at this facility, and then allowing the private prison contract to expire, is a strategy to force the purchase of the 27-year-old prison. This was part of the reason he filed House Bill 1310 . "But don’t overlook or ignore the contract with the second private facility located in Hinton," he said. "How many millions will this extremely insufficient facility cost?" Humphrey said the DOC has only a few months to offer solutions to this "colossal debacle" and "sadly it appears purchasing the prison is the only option." He wonders if that was the plan all along. 

Mar 20, 2025
Recent Posts

Humphrey Defends Anti-Doxing Law, Derides Alleged Abusers of the Act

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today commented on legislation he passed in 2021 that was designed to protect the private information of law enforcement officers, but which he feels now is potentially being misused. House Bill 1643 , signed into law in 2021, strengthened penalties against those who purposely try to bring harm to law enforcement officers and county officials by maliciously sharing their personal information online. "I want Oklahomans to know I was proud to author this bill to prevent protesters such as Black Lives Matters and other groups from publicly displaying and releasing the personal information of law enforcement officers for the purpose of intimidating officers and their family members," Humphrey said. "This anti-doxing bill was written because of Norman Police Officers and their family members who were terrorized after their personal information was released with malicious intent. The bill was never meant to bully law-abiding whistleblowers who are simply sharing public documents. Whistleblowing is not doxing." Humphrey said he is deeply concerned with reports that the law is apparently now being used by the sheriff in Cleveland County who a month ago allegedly ordered the arrest and jailing of a frequent critic. Charges were apparently dropped and the person was released. "Just because something posted online is embarrassing doesn't automatically mean it's harassment," Humphrey said. "Our law enforcement officers absolutely deserve protection from terrorists who want to threaten, intimidate or harass them at their homes for simply doing their jobs. However, this is not a get-out-of-jail-free card to cover up wrongdoing no matter if it is law enforcement." "If you abuse the anti-doxing act to go after a whistleblower, I think you are setting up yourself and the county you represent for a multi-million dollar lawsuit. I will fight to protect whistleblowers and to defend our great law enforcement officers. At the end of the day it angers me to hear reports of a law enforcement officer potentially violating and abusing a law written to protect himself." Humphrey said he's joined with former Sen. Jerry Ellis, who worked to introduce Oklahoma's original Whistleblower Act, and with attorney Stan Ward, who assisted Humphrey with language to improve penalties for those who seek to retaliate against whistleblowers, in an effort to protect those who seek to tell the public the truth about corruption.