Prison Construction Schedule Adjusted
 
Because of changes in the prison population forecast prepared by the state Office of Economic Analysis, the Department of Corrections recently modified its prison construction timetable. The new Long Range Construction Plan reflects a demand for men´s minimum security beds earlier than had been previously forecasted.
 
Additionally the plan eliminates a prison site in Oakridge because of potential environmental and flood plain issues. With other sites available and the ability to build sufficient numbers of minimum and/or medium beds on those sites, the department chose not to pursue the Oakridge site.
 
The adjustments reflect changes at the front end of the criminal justice system in charging practices, the judicial system and sentencing alternatives. Those changes, largely in response to Ballot Measure 11, affect the numbers and types of people who reach prison for a term of incarceration.
 

Completion Date	Location	Number of Beds
1998, September	Ontario - Snake River Correctional Institution expansion complete; 2,996 beds total	2,348
1998, September	Umatilla - Two Rivers Correctional Institution - minimum security support facility for the large medium male complex	96
1999, November	Umatilla - Two Rivers Correctional Institution - medium security beds	1,536
2001, February	Wilsonville - women´s/intake complex minimum beds	384
2001, August	Wilsonville -women´s/intake complex remaining women & intake	920
2002, Jul, Sep, Nov	Expansion of existing minimum security facilities	250
2003, January	Lakeview - men´s minimum security work camp	400
2003, September	Junction City - men´s minimum security facility	400
2004, July	Madras - minimum security support facility for the large medium male complex	96
2004, November	Madras - medium security beds	1,536
To be determined	Junction City - men´s medium security facility	1,536
To be determined	White City - men´s medium security complex	1,632

 
Late June Decision for Wilsonville
 
The Governor´s Office recently reiterated that the governor expects to use the entire 90-day period he allotted for studying the prison site in Wilsonville, although he has the latitude to make a decision earlier.
In a May 14 letter to legislative leadership, Senior Policy Advisor Steve Marks wrote, "...factual information on the site be available for any potential Emergency Board discussion in June. It is our intention to be prepared to respond to any legislative request for an update on the alternative prison site by June 11."
 
Appeals Court Hears Media Lawsuit
 
On May 15, a three judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by various media outlets against the department.
 
Prior to hearing the case, the panel complimented Attorney Les Swanson and Assistant Attorney General Robert Atkinson on the quality of the briefs they had prepared.
 
The media objects to department rules requiring witnesses to an execution to sign an agreement promising not to divulge the identities of certain staff involved in an execution. They also seek to observe more than the actual execution.
 
The department maintains that compromising the identity of staff who volunteer to be a part of the execution team jeopardizes the safety and security of the institution and that it has a legitimate penological interest in protecting its staff from the possibility of reprisals. Up to eight staff must be present in the room with the condemned inmate until after the intravenous catheters are inserted.
The case could take from months to years to be decided.
 
DPSST Takes Academy to Ontario
 
New correctional officer recruits in Eastern Oregon recently took part in a pilot project conducted by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). For the first time, DPSST, headquartered in Monmouth, conducted its Basic Correctional Officer Training off-site. In a cooperative agreement with Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, the rigorous five-week basic training mirrored the training offered at the Public Safety Academy at Western Oregon University.
 
Training included classroom and field work conducted by approximately 15 instructors drawn from local law enforcement experts, including professionals from Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario.
The academy took to the road because of Snake River´s expansion from 650 beds to 3000 beds.
 
To accommodate the growth, the men´s medium custody prison projects hiring about 300 new correctional officers by mid-1999.
There are many benefits to the pilot project. For instance, the state reimburses recruits attending the academy in Monmouth for travel and expenses. All of those students live in dormitories for five weeks at state expense. In Ontario, the officers lived at home and were not reimbursed for travel. Additionally, instructors were not called away from their normal job duties for extended periods of time.
 
There were 35 graduates of the training. DPSST will be evaluating the success of the pilot program in terms of economics and academic outcomes.
 
Two Assistant Directors Appointed
 
Following a nationwide search, S. Frank Thompson and Nicholas Armenakis were recently appointed assistant directors of the Department of Corrections. They will jointly manage the Institutions Division.
 
Mr. Thompson is the former superintendent of Oregon State Penitentiary. He held that position since being hired away from the Arkansas Department of Corrections in 1994.
 
Mr. Armenakis rose through the ranks of the Oregon DOC, primarily at Oregon State Penitentiary. He was superintendent of Oregon State Correctional Institution for a year before being promoted to assistant director.
 
Satellite Video Presentation
 
The National Institute of Corrections is sponsoring a two-hour interactive video conference on "Gangs, Community and Corrections" on June 10.
 
Please preregister by June 5 if you would like to attend. Details, including a list of locations, are available by calling DOC Staff Training at 378-2826.