OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Department of Corrections will request $1.53 billion in state funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, including $813 million for two new medium security prisons. Other priorities include support to expand re-entry, mental health and substance abuse programs, officials announced.

The request, which was unanimously approved by ODOC’s Board of Corrections on Tuesday, is a more than $1 billion increase over the department’s FY 2018 appropriation of $485 million. It includes more than $107 million in repairs to its facilities, and $10 million for across-the-board employee ra...