The South Central Correctional Center (SCCC) in Licking, Missouri — a small town in Texas County about 130 miles south of Jefferson City — has become one of the most scrutinized prisons in the state. In 2024, 19 men died there, making it the second-deadliest Missouri state prison that year. Drug overdose has been the leading cause of death at SCCC since 2018. In 2025, the investigation into how so many drugs were entering the facility led directly to the firing of its warden.
The Death Toll
Between 2018 and 2024, drug overdose — primarily from fentanyl — was the single most common cause of death at South Central Correctional Center. In 2024 specifically, overdoses represented roughly one-third of the facility's 19 deaths. The coroner records that form the basis of this data, analyzed by reporters for KY3 News and the Missouri Independent, paint a picture of a facility where fentanyl has penetrated so deeply that it is now the primary killer of the men confined there.
The 19 deaths in a single year at a single facility — a prison of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 beds — represent a mortality rate that exceeds what could be explained by the natural causes, age, or health status of the population alone. The drug overdose concentration specifically suggests a supply problem that security measures were not addressing.
The Unsecured Gate
An investigation into how contraband was entering SCCC found the answer in an unexpected place: a poorly screened facility gate. The investigation revealed that drugs — and potentially other contraband — were entering the facility through a gate that was not being adequately screened. This entry vector bypassed the more rigorous visitor screening and mail inspection protocols that prisons typically prioritize, exploiting a gap in the perimeter security that had gone unaddressed.
The Warden Is Fired
In early 2025, SCCC warden Michele Buckner — who had held the position since 2019 — ended her employment at the facility following the investigation's findings. The Missouri DOC's announcement was framed in institutional language, but the context was clear: the investigation had found that loose security at Buckner's facility was enabling the drug flow that was killing inmates.
Warden accountability for facility security failures is relatively rare in state corrections systems, where management culture tends toward institutional protection and reassignment rather than termination. Buckner's firing — unusual in its directness — reflected the severity of what investigators found and the public and political pressure generated by the reporting on SCCC's death toll.
What the SCCC Story Reveals
South Central Correctional Center's situation illustrates several dynamics that are not unique to Licking, Missouri:
- Remote facilities have unique security vulnerabilities: SCCC's location in rural Texas County means fewer eyes on facility operations, more difficulty recruiting and retaining staff, and potentially less scrutiny of contractor and delivery traffic. The poorly screened gate could exist at many similarly remote facilities.
- Fentanyl changes the overdose math: Older contraband drugs — marijuana, heroin — rarely caused fatal overdoses inside prisons. Fentanyl is different. A usable dose and a fatal dose are separated by a margin measured in micrograms, and the drug can be infused into paper, fabric, and ordinary items that pass standard screening. Once fentanyl enters a facility at scale, deaths follow.
- Accountability requires data transparency: The SCCC story came to light through coroner records and journalism. Without the KCUR/Missouri Independent reporting that analyzed death data by facility, SCCC's overdose death concentration would not have been visible to the public or the legislature.
What Families at SCCC Should Know
If your loved one is at South Central Correctional Center:
- Post-Buckner, the facility is under heightened scrutiny and security review. New leadership has an institutional incentive to demonstrate that the contraband problem is being addressed.
- If your loved one has a substance use disorder, ask about medication-assisted treatment (MAT) availability at SCCC — methadone or buprenorphine dramatically reduces fatal overdose risk in people with opioid use disorder.
- Any concerns about facility conditions or specific incidents can be raised with Missouri DOC's Constituent Services line and with the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri (aclu-mo.org).
South Central Correctional Center: 255 West Highway 32, Licking, MO 65542. Main phone: (573) 674-3455. Missouri DOC headquarters: 2729 Plaza Drive, PO Box 236, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Phone: (573) 751-2389. Website: doc.mo.gov.