- Oklahoma wants to change the law so it can hire 18- and 19-year olds for prison work, per KOCO-TV.
- Oklahoma DOC is struggling with a shortfall of almost 500 workers.
- An Oklahoma state representative told KOCO-TV he is open to looking at a proposal.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is looking to employ 18- and 19-year-olds to work in state prisons to help overcome a shortage of almost 500 workers, KOCO-TV reported on Saturday.
Justin Wolf, an Oklahoma DOC spokesperson, told KOCO-TV that the agency is working with lawmakers to try to change the law so that it can hire employees from 18 years of age.
Oklahoma DOC is set back because it can't hire 18-year-olds, Wolf told KOCO-TV. The current minimum age limit to work in prison is 20 years old, according to The Associated Press.
Wolf told KOCO-TV that the agency is offering career development opportunities and lifelong careers by hiring teenagers.
The 18- and 19-year-olds wouldn't be hired for jobs involving weapons, any posts that involve security threat groups, or specialized management jobs, Wolf told KOCO-TV.
State Rep. Justin Humphrey, chair of Criminal Justice and Corrections, told KOCO-TV that the agency is possibly at a point where it has to "declare a state of emergency" because of the very low number of correctional officers.
"I feel like 18 is too young but I will tell you, where we're at right now, I have backed up and said I'm willing to look at a proposal," he told KOCO-TV.
The Oklahoma DOC didn't immediately reply to Insider's request for comment.
The labor shortage has hit small and large businesses across the US as employers scramble to hire and retain workers.
In August, a McDonald's in Oregon hung a banner outside the restaurant, advertising that it's hiring 14- and 15-year-old workers. A sign at a Burger King restaurant in Ohio also said it would hire 14- and 15-year-olds.