| April/May 2006 Corrections News Online |
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| Director's Message: National Corrections Employees Week |
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May 7-13 is National Corrections Employees Week. We happily take this opportunity to again express our appreciation for all the excellent work that you do. Just last week, DOC participated in a meeting of corrections administrators from various states and countries, and our long-held belief was affirmed: Oregon Department of Corrections employees are not only some of the best in the nation, but also in the world.
Consider our participation in activities and events that – in addition to our work – make Oregon’s communities stronger, safer and healthier. As an agency, this year we donated the equivalent of more than 225,000 pounds of food to the Governor’s Food Drive. Because of your generosity, more children will go to bed at night well fed instead of hungry. Also, DOC staff excel at making donations to the Christmas toy and Charitable Fund drives, showing that we are willing to reach beyond ourselves to others in need.
We have stepped up time and again to help our colleagues and family members overcome devastating challenges. From donating vacation leave, to fundraising BBQs, to golf tournaments, DOC’s caring for our own is outstanding. Over the years, we are awed by your generosity of time, money and goods as we have watched you care for colleagues facing life-threatening illnesses and the devastation of personal loss.
We cannot even begin to do justice to acknowledge DOC employees’ contributions to communities through religious and civic organizations, scouting, sports, schools, and more. That sense of goodwill is also international: Members of our staff are involved in their local communities’ charities that reach out to aid other nations in need; another group of volunteers are soon taking donated supplies to an African prison and orphanage. Our ongoing gratitude also extends to those on our staff who have chosen to serve in the armed forces at home and abroad.
Corrections is a rewarding and proud profession for one reason alone: its people. Both on the job and on our own time, in spite of risk and personal cost, we serve Oregon in so many ways that often go unacknowledged. This is our week to shine.
Our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your good work and good deeds. You make it easy to be proud. We are privileged to thank you for another great year with the Department
Sincerely,
 
Max Williams Mitch Morrow
Director Deputy Director
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| Strategic Initiatives Update |
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DOC’s Strategic Plan identifies 13 initiatives for the 2005-07 biennium. Each was assigned a project manager to ensure that these initiatives are accomplished within the appropriate timeframe, are organized in a logical and systematic way, and include the correct participants and stakeholders. You can read the entire strategic plan on-line at: www.oregon.gov/DOC/ADMIN/strategic_plan.shtml.
Below are updates on two of those initiatives: Prison Population Management and the Custody Classification System.
Prison Population Management
Project Sponsor, Nathan Allen; Project Manager, Kelley Morton
The Department of Administrative Services Office of Economic Analysis issues an Oregon Corrections Population Forecast every six months in April and October. The April 2006 forecast projects the prison population to grow from 13,179 inmates on May 1, 2006, to 16,043 in January 2016. DOC then uses these forecasts to update the Long-Range Construction Plan and population management plan for the biennium.
To help provide the capacity necessary to house the growing population, the 2005 Legislature approved the following construction projects, which are well underway:
- Expansion of Shutter Creek Correctional Institution by 100 beds (complete August 2006). The expansion includes a new three-story dormitory with classroom and staff areas; new laundry facilities; replaced waterlines throughout the institution; remodeling of the sewer, water, and fire suppression systems; and a complete paving overlay for the institution grounds.
- Expansion of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility by 108 minimum beds (complete August 2006) and 216 medium beds (complete March 2007). When CCCF was sited, the initial build had 1,228 beds, expected to meet the state’s intake and female felon housing needs until 2012. However, unexpected growth in the female inmate population created an immediate need for additional beds. When construction of these beds is complete, the facility will be at its total sited capacity.
- Construction of Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras: a 644-bed minimum facility (complete December 2006); and A 1,240-bed medium facility (complete December 2007). This update reflects changes to the plan for the minimum, which will now be divided into 54-bed units allowing dedicated housing for alcohol and drug treatment, mental health treatment, developmentally disabled inmates, and other special housing as needed.
DRCI Construction Site (as of 5-4-2006)
- Rental beds: To meet current demand for prison beds, DOC now has approximately 75 inmates housed in rented county jail beds. The Department continues to move forward with plans for future construction in Junction City and White City.
Custody Classification System
Project Sponsor, Ginger Martin; Project Manager, Kevin Hormann
To be an effective tool, a custody classification system must provide DOC with accurate and relevant information necessary to determine the level of security needed to safely monitor and manage the behavior of the inmate, and thus determines their location within the system. The more-precise the tool, the better able we are to target inmates to the appropriate level of supervision and security.
For many years, DOC has categorized inmates as minimum, medium, close and maximum. Now, DOC will begin using a new five-level inmate custody classification tool. It includes scientifically evaluated actuarial data to predict those inmates most likely to be engaged in misconduct and requiring a higher level of security to safely manage their behavior. The tool also incorporates a number of policy items – such as a history of sex offenses and prior history of escape – that address the risk an inmate may pose to the public.
This new classification system is now being implemented across the Department. Training began in institutions this month, and DOC will begin to re-classify inmates using the five-level system in June. By the end of this year, all inmates should be classified according to the new system.
Here are the basics of how the revised five-level custody classification system will work:
- The conduct factor (a statistical prediction of an inmate's risk to receive a misconduct report) will be given greater weight in scoring an inmate's custody level. This statistical calculation will also be adjusted to reflect an inmate’s recent actual conduct history.
- The primary scoring effort in the new classification system still revolves around 10 policy elements of sound correctional practice and good public policy. The score on each policy element may result in the inmate's custody level being higher than the score dictated by the adjusted conduct factor.
- Finally, an interaction between the conduct factor and the policy elements will be added to the scoring process that can result in increases or decreases to the custody level.
- Death Row and IMU inmates will continue to be scored as Level 5 without any modifications based on the conduct factor.
Tying in with the Population Management initiative, the new classification system will be applied to the population forecast to assist in long-range population management and construction planning. Watch for more information and training as the new classification system is rolled out.
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| WebLEDS Wows Users |
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Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) users throughout DOC and partner community corrections agencies are being trained on a new Intranet-based application called WebLEDS. Instead of the old green-screen interface with the LEDS, the new system is point-and-click selections without the cumbersome combinations of function keys many had learned to plow through when doing criminal background checks.
“WebLEDS makes access to LEDS much easier and more user-friendly,” says Project Manager (and former ISSD Administrator) Clint Branum. “It looks and operates like a Web site.”
The final technical pieces of the new application were completed in March, and site administrators and trainers are learning to use the system.
DOC’s license for WebLEDS extends to users both within the agency and in county community corrections agencies. As local training is conducted, administrators will run the old and new systems in parallel until they are confident that the old system can be safely discontinued.
“By phasing-in WebLEDS at a locally determined pace, we hope to engage users and give them flexibility that matches their own comfort levels with the new technology,” continues Branum. He also solicits ideas from users for enhancements. “We are open to ongoing suggestions for improvement of the interface,” he concludes. “We also would like to know what else we can add to WebLEDS to help users to better manage their workloads.
For more information or to make suggestions, contact Clint Branum at (503) 378-3798, ext. 22407 or e-mail: clint.branum@doc.state.or.us.
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| Inspector General Hotline |
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The Inspector General Hotline was implemented by DOC in February 2005, to provide inmates and staff a safe way to report information regarding abuse, misconduct, waste, or fraud. Since then, it has received hundreds of calls, averaging six completed calls a week.
All messages left on the hotline are reviewed each business day. If the information is credible, follow-up actions range from a referral to the appropriate superintendent or functional unit manager to an investigation conducted by the Investigations Unit. While callers are not required to identify themselves, investigators can discreetly contact them if they have done so. The Inspector General requests that callers leave as much information as possible to aid the investigation.
Of the calls the hotline received, 25 percent concerned operational issues, 29 percent alleged staff misconduct, 6 percent involved prohibited inmate misconduct, and 35 percent could not be grouped into specific categories. Of all calls, 18 met the criteria to open an investigation by the Investigations Unit (the remaining 5 percent of calls were incomplete or were placed to evaluate the hotline system).
There are two hotline numbers: the phone number for the inmates is restricted to direct dialing only from the inmate phone system; staff cannot access this number. The number for staff is accessible from any DOC or community phone.
Staff toll-free number: (877) 678-4222
Inmate toll-free number: (503) 555-1234
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| Motel Bills, Car Rental Bills and Travel Reimbursements |
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There is a reason it is important for staff to get their travel reimbursements in as soon as possible after traveling. DOC’s Accounting Unit has arranged with many motels around the state and rental car companies so that our employees do not have to pay up-front for their motel stays when they travel (most other state agencies require their employees to pay for their motels and rental cars and then wait to get reimbursed… it is a privilege to not have to pay up-front for them). Many times, these companies bill us as soon as the employee has checked out or used the car.
To pay these bills, accounting looks on the system to verify that the employee has traveled. This verification is done using the employee’s travel reimbursement information. When employees have not submitted their travel reimbursements, it delays the payment to the motel or car rental agency, as well as taking time for everyone involved when we have to follow up with you.
If you travel, please submit your signed reimbursement forms within two weeks after the travel – the sooner the better. Even for direct bill motels, you must attach a copy of the motel bill to the Travel Reimbursement Form. Without it, any reimbursement for per-diem and other expenses will be delayed. It is important for us to work professionally with our vendors, ensuring that the next time someone from DOC calls needing a room or a car that they want to continue to do business with us.
If you have questions, please contact Shelley Berry for travel reimbursements at: (503) 945-0906, and Sandy Doak for motel/rental car payments at: (503) 945-9209. You can find more about state travel policies at: www.oregon.gov/DAS/SCD/SARS/policies/oam/40.10.00.PO.pdf
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| Hospice Video Receives National Award |
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By Norma Land, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
Hospice is a philosophy that ensures that a dying person is surrounded with help and support. In two Oregon prisons, Hospice patients are offered religious support, family visits are facilitated, and medical staff work to relive the pain of the medical condition.
Oregon State Penitentiary’s Hospice was certified in June 1999, and has served more than 50 dying patients. In 2001, OSP’s Hospice received “Program of the Year” Award from the National Commission of Correctional Health Care. Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is now developing a Hospice program for women.
A joint project recently brought together a number of partners and grant funding to develop a video about Hospice in prisons. Filming was done at both CCCF and OSP, with both staff and inmates participating. That video has received a national award by the Hospice Association.
Congratulations to the staff and inmates who work in Hospice for their compassion, caring and ongoing excellence.
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| DOC's Generous Giving to State Food Drive |
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Once again, DOC employees excelled in their generosity during the 2006 State Employees Food Drive. DOC collected nearly 20,000 pounds of food, and donated nearly $30,000 in cash and payroll deductions. This translates into 225,359 pounds of food for Oregon’s hungry – an increase of more than 18,500 pounds over DOC’s 2005 donation level.
DOC’s contributions were part of 3.9 million total pounds of food donated by state employees overall for the Oregon Food Bank and its 20 regional affiliates.
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| Sustainability Update: Geothermal vs. Propane |
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Warner Creek Correctional Facility was designed and built incorporating a closed-loop geothermal system for providing heat to the buildings. Using this renewable energy source for heating the prison costs DOC $1,950 a month, plus a usage charge of 40 cents for each 1,000 gallons of water pumped through the heat exchangers.
The alternative heating source available in Lakeview is propane, a non-renewable resource. Propane costs are directly related to other fossil fuel costs, and are rising (the comparison below uses a conservative propane cost of $1 a gallon).
For those interested in the technical details of the comparison, at the time the usage figures for the geothermal system were obtained, the outside air temperate at WCCF was 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The flow rate on the geothermal system was 88 gallons a minute, with a temperature difference of 102 degrees. This equates to a heat flow of more than 3.2 billion BTUS a month. To provide the same heat flow without geothermal would require 35,000 gallons of propane every month.
Using geothermal energy, WCCF’s actual cost of providing heat for that month was $3,470 – less than 10 percent of the $35,604 cost of using propane for the same heating levels.
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| Congressional Interest in PRCF Programs |
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DOC actively seeks opportunities to welcome elected officials and other policymakers into our prisons to see first-hand the excellent work of our staff and the Oregon Accountability Model in action. A recent example is that Oregon Congressman Greg Walden recently visited Powder River Correctional Facility as part of a regional tour of his district.
A member of the Congressional caucus to fight and control methamphetamine, Congressman Walden was interested in how DOC is contributing to the fight against methamphetamine addiction. Director Max Williams, Deputy Director Mitch Morrow, and Public Affairs Administrator Colette S. Peters participated in the tour and discussions. The tour visited inmate treatment groups and focused on the high number of inmates with methamphetamine addictions who are treated in the alternative incarceration program.
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| Reminder on Political Campaigning Restrictions |
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As Oregon moves through the primary elections, remember the overriding principle is that public employees may not use their work time to support or oppose measures, candidates, or petitions. This principle is based on ORS 260.432 (2), which provides that public employees may not be involved in promoting or opposing any political committee or any initiative, referendum or recall petition, measure or candidate “while on the job during working hours.” However, the statute also states that it does not restrict the right of public employees to express personal political views.
The policy of the state is that public employees may engage in political activity except to the extent prohibited by state law when on the job during working hours. You can read more about this law and the Secretary of State Elections Division’s interpretation at www.sos.state.or.us/elections/elechp.htm.
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| More News... |
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- Welcome back to Greg Atkin, who returns to DOC as Inmate Work Programs manager, succeeding the recently retired Debra Slater. Greg spent the last 14 months as the first statewide safety manager for the Oregon Youth Authority. Earlier, Greg worked at OSP and OSPM as safety manager, acting assistant superintendent of General Services and acting OSPM facilities manager. Greg’s knowledge of policy development, safety and security training, OSHA, institutions, and the ability to work with agency partners complements a solid team involved in DOC’s inmate work programs. He also brings back to DOC his more than 15 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services and an extensive safety and risk background.
- Kudos to Offender Information and Sentence Calculation Administrator Kim Brockamp on her selection as Oregon State University’s OSU Distinguished Early Career Business Professional for 2006.
- The revised version of the Oregon Criminal Judges Benchbook is available on-line at www.ojd.state.or.us/reference/criminalbenchbook.htm
- The federal Internal Revenue Service does not send unsolicited e-mails asking for personal information, and reminds taxpayers to be on the lookout for scam e-mails aimed at tricking recipients into disclosing personal and financial information that could be used to steal identities and financial assets. Forward suspicious e-mails to: phishing@irs.gov.
- Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics’ new publications:
“Identity Theft, 2004” is the first report on identity theft and its consequences, from new questions added to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) in July 2004. The crimes covered include credit card theft, theft from existing accounts, and misuse of personal information. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/it04.htm
“Justice Expenditure and Employment in the United States, 2003” presents expenditure and employment data on police protection, judicial and legal services, and corrections for Federal, State, and local governments in 2003 and national trend data for 1982 to 2003. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/jeeus03.htm
“BJS Key Facts at a Glance charts: Expenditure and Employment” provides direct expenditure by criminal justice function, 1982-2003, and direct expenditure by level of government, 1982-2003. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance.htm#Expenditures
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| About Corrections News Online |
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DOC Corrections News
Oregon Department of Corrections
Max Williams, Director
Mitch Morrow, Deputy Director
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For more information or to submit story ideas, please call Nancy Sellers, editor, in the
DOC Public Affairs Office at (503) 945-9225 or e-mail: nancy.sellers@state.or.us.
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