Message from Director Dave Cook
Welcome to Corrections Briefings, a monthly snapshot of some of our state´s corrections issues and facts. Our public affairs staff is producing this "at-a-glance" one-pager at the urging of Rep. Peter Courtney. We thank him for the idea and hope you find it useful. I think it illustrates that new ideas are always welcome. Please contact me personally or call 945-0922 if you have a suggestion you´d like to share.
 
Inmates at Work
 
Eighty-four percent of eligible inmates in Oregon´s prisons we reengaged in work-related activities according to the latest statistics available. During the week ending October 25, 55 percent were in full compliance with Measure 17 by working full time or participating in a full time combination of work and job preparedness training.
 
Prison Population Forecast
 
According to the October 1 forecast prepared by the Office of Economic Analysis, Oregon´s prison population is forecast to increase from 7,808 beds on July 1, 1997 to 14,346 beds by July 1, 2007. As in the previous forecast (April 1997), this is a prediction that the prison population will nearly double over the next decade. About two-thirds of this growth is directly or indirectly due to the passage of Measure 11, which created mandatory sentences for certain violent crimes.
 
Two Rivers Correctional Institution (TRCI) Under Construction
 
Because of the forecasted slowing of the growth of the prison population, ODOC has decided that the 1636-bed Two Rivers project in Umatilla did not need to proceed at a "fast-track" pace and could adopt a more conventional construction schedule.The institution will be completed in phases, allowing a greater use of inmate labor. Final occupancy is planned for the fall of 2000.
 
Corrections Technology
 
Historically inmates have tried to escape from prisons by hiding in utility vehicles legitimately inside a prison fence. The sallyports (secure double gates used in prisons - only one of which may be open at one time) in new prisons will have a heart beat sensing device to detect the presence of hidden persons within a vehicle. This technology will reduce the need for vehicle searches and improve public safety.
 
Death Row Snapshot
 
Twenty inmates in Oregon are on death row. One is Native American, two are Hispanic and 17 are White. The average age is 37. Most of the inmates were convicted in Multnomah (4), Clackamas (3), Douglas (3) and Washington (3) counties.
 
Recyclers Beware!
 
ODOC investigations and news reports of personal and/or sensitive documents falling into the hands of inmates working at a recycling facility in Portland have raised some issues that are signs of the times. Most of us have not stopped to ask questions about who, exactly, is handling the personal and business material Oregonians are so dutifully recycling. While it is not necessarily inmates sorting recyclables, it very well could be others who have failed the test of honesty.
When a security breach occurs, people immediately point fingers at inmates. But inmates are actually among the most intensely supervised and searched workers in the recycling business. In fact, inmates have been the first to point out sensitive material!
 
Because strangers - not just inmates - are handling your recyclables, why tempt them? Remember, recycling security begins in the home and office.
 
Offender Stats
 
In November, 1997, 907 offenders were admitted to probation and 277 inmates were released to parole/post-prison supervision. The average prison population was 7,690, the average probation population was 17,953 and the average number of offenders on parole/post-prison supervision was 9,834.
 
ODOC On-Line
 
The ODOC web site debuted this fall on the internet (http://www.oregon.gov/DOC). It contains up-to-the minute information regarding news events, institutions (including visiting hours and directions), personnel, career opportunities, community corrections and other criminal justice sites. This ODOC site has already received praise by national corrections experts as a useful and informative tool.
 
Excerpts from Governor Kitzhaber´s Speech to the Citizen´s Crime Commission:
 
"New sanctions and new prison beds are not being hard on crime, it´s being hard on criminals. This is not just a semantic distinction. It is a fundamental philosophical divide. On the one side you have a single-minded determination to make sure criminals are punished. On the other - the one I am trying to describe - you have to couple that with a determination to prevent the commission of crime in the first place.
 
Our current path accepts the creation of new victims by placing the highest priority and commitment of resources with the criminal. Given the choice, most Oregonians would prefer to never be victims of crime. I know I would."
"But make no mistake about it, it´s easier to stir public opinion in favor of harsher sentences and new prisons - as long as they´re not in your backyard - than it is to invest in preventing crime. Across the board, it is always easier to intervene in a crisis than to take steps to prevent one. But, quite frankly, it takes more political courage and more vision to raise the banner of prevention."
 
Wilsonville
 
The department is awaiting word from the Oregon Supreme Court on Wilsonville so plans to build a much-needed women´s prison and intake center can proceed. The department intends to ask the January E-Board for construction authorization pending the outcome of the Supreme Court decision.