| Corrections News On-Line May 2002 |
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| From Dave Cook & Ben de Haan |
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Getting involved with the Oregon Accountability Model
The department is taking the next step to ensure released offenders are better-prepared to move successfully back into society and that they have more attractive options for survival on the outside than committing new crimes.
The Oregon Accountability Model was the topic at eight meetings around the state last month with several hundred DOC management staff and members of the department’s executive management team. Straightforward and helpful discussions covered items such as how to build on our solid foundation of operating safe and secure institutions and the many other areas where our excellence is unchallenged.
As we discussed implementing the model, there was a good mix of: “We’re already doing that,” and “We can’t wait to get started!” as well as outstanding suggestions for changes that will make our work more effective and help us to better share information.
There also were serious questions about the amount of change it will take to implement the accountability model. Other questions were more specific, such as how to clearly draw the line between meaningful pro-social interaction with inmates and inappropriate personal relationships.
To follow up on these ideas and concerns, DOC Research & Analysis Director Paul Bellatty will develop a survey to assess the scope and range of the training needs and the concerns of DOC staff.
As an agency, we already possess skills necessary to implement the Oregon Accountability Model. We will build upon that base, working together to move forward. As the DOC increasingly focuses on learning and growing as an organization, there will be opportunities to participate in workgroups, trainings, and other related activities. Also, please continue looking at DOC’s rules, policies, and procedures to see if there are some that are now out of date and might hinder us in implementing the accountability model in the prisons.
There are exciting opportunities ahead of us. You are a vital part of this process. Please ask questions and give constructive criticism. As we hold inmates more accountable for their actions, we share responsibility to help them change their behavior. Together, we can.
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| Thousands Attend Coffee Creek |
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Thousands Attend Coffee Creek Opening Events
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Dozens of people milled around, waiting for their chance to get into prison. At 8:30 a.m., they were already lining up at the gate for the 9:00 a.m. tours. The doors opened early, letting the curious from around the state get their first, and likely their last, look inside the new Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.
Ready for them were 35 tour guides. In groups of 20 or more, visitors were shown the facility. More than 2,000 people took the guided tours, with another 2,000 or so opting to wander through on their own.
There were as many as 28 tour groups moving through the institution at a time. Favorite stops were a transport bus, intake, cell blocks, Health Services, Food Services (where snacks were served), hallway displays of DOC and related programs, and Visiting (where kids could be fingerprinted at a table sponsored by AFSCME).
The 1:00 p.m. dedication ceremony was held in the still-vacant OCE Print Shop area. It featured the DOC Color Guard, comments from DOC Director Dave Cook and CCCF Superintendent Joan Palmateer, Wilsonville Mayor Charlotte Lehan, and recognition of the excellent work by contractors and staff who worked to build and open the state’s newest prison.
By 4:30 p.m., the crowds had thinned to a trickle coming in the front doors, and tour guides were hoarse from talking loudly for hours on end. The voices soon healed, but the work of searching every nook and cranny remained. CCCF staff spent the next few days combing the grounds and buildings for contraband, but nothing of concern was found.
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| Fire Delays Arrival of Inmates |
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Fire Delays Arrival of CCCF Inmates: A Nightmare on Day Street
It’s 11:30 on the night before inmates are scheduled to arrive at your new prison. You’ve been living, breathing and working “Coffee Creek” for 16 months. Your pager goes off … your phone rings … you bury your head in the pillows and think, “It can’t be true … it must be a nightmare!”
Not only is it true, but also when you get to the prison, eight fire rigs block your access to the gatehouse. Your spirits sag. Your pillows are miles and hours away.
Your first concern: officers. All are safe. Because of smoke and unknowns about the fire, master control is moved to administrative control on the ground floor. Then because of smoke the command post moves to the minimum. The fire company wants the power turned off; officers help PGE get that done.
Waiting, painful waiting - everyone is anxious to know what happened and how much damage was incurred.
Finally: News.
A new phrase is about to enter your vocabulary: “Uninterruptible Power Supply.” It sparked, arced, barked or burped, sending smoke and soot throughout the gatehouse, causing an evacuation of Master Control. Enough smoke and heat were generated to trigger the fire suppression system. Enough chemicals were released to bar entrance to the building for hours and hours.
Computer systems are down, the power status is tenuous. The decision is made to postpone the delivery of inmates scheduled for early the next day; no, make that later this morning. The Transport Unit is contacted. Everything is on hold.
The prevailing climate: communicate. Briefings, meetings, investigations. Options weighed, discarded, adopted. Theories tested, tossed, embraced. Leadership, initiative, good judgment - all showed.
The outcome: accidental fire caused by the mechanical failure of an uninterruptible power supply. Three days of disinfection, cleaning, ozonators, ventilation, air scrubbers. ISSD staff onsite deal with servers, routers, switches, Verizon. You hear words like “energizing,” “KVA,” “air evacuation,” and “corrosive soot” signifying new concerns.
It’s remarkable that just two days later most systems are restored, all buildings are once again occupied and business is back to usual - wait, we’re not in business yet - it’s been 16 months - what’s usual look like?
April 18, the buses roll in. We’re ready. That’s what it’s all about!
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| Inmate Survey Update |
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The inmate parenting survey announced last month has been expanded to a broader survey of visiting issues. Randomly selected inmates will be asked to meet in small groups at each institution in the next few weeks.
The following article was sent out for inmate newsletters:
Survey on Visiting Coming Soon
In the next few weeks, you may be called out to complete a survey about visiting. Those asked to take the survey will be selected at random by computer.
If chosen, you will be asked questions such as, “In the last 30 days, how many times did you talk to friends or family on the telephone?” and “What kinds of things could be done to increase visits with family and friends?”
We recognize the importance of maintaining good relationships with family and friends. Your answers and ideas will help the department make decisions about improving visiting.
We won’t ask for your name or SID number on the survey. If you are called out for the survey, a researcher will be there to answer your questions.
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| Telephone System Efficiency |
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Telephone System Efficiency Audit and Centralization
The department received two directives regarding telephones from the 2001 Legislature: 1) We must audit all DOC telephone circuits, phone lines, cell phones, phone bills, and long-distance charges; and 2) Centralize agency telephone services.
To meet these requirements, ISSD will conduct an audit of DAS telephone billing, all telephone circuits and lines, cellular phones, and long distance charges currently billed to DOC on the DAS bill. The audit will validate billing for all telephone charges, make recommendations to minimize costs, better-track existing lines, and help create a more-efficient and cost-effective telephone network for the department.
Audit team members Malia Berkey, Christina Bernal and Kelli Nash will contact DOC personnel about their telephone use. Questions will include the physical location of certain phone lines, who answers the phone, who has access to particular phone lines, and the cost center associated to the person answering the phone.
As part of the centralization process, ISSD Operations Manager Jerry Johnson must now approve all DOC telephone service orders (TSOs) before they can be processed. To avoid delays, please route any TSOs through:
Jerry R. Johnson, ISSD Operations Manager
3601 State St., N.E., Suite 210, Salem, Oregon 97301
Fax: 503-589-0427
E-mail: jerry.r.johnson@doc.state.or.us <mailto:jerry.r.johnson@doc.state.or.us>
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| PEBB Web-Based Program |
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PEBB Web-Based Wellness Program for Employees
The Public Employees Benefits Board is beginning a new statewide wellness program for State of Oregon employees and their covered dependents called “The State of Health.” It integrates the following elements:
§ Chronic disease management assistance.
§ Health screenings and risk assessments.
§ Expanded health and wellness education programs for employees statewide.
Key to this wellness initiative is a set of Web-based personal health management tools that will be introduced to employees in May and available in June. Through a user name and password, you will be able to personalize your own, confidential site on WellMed servers.
The new tools will allow you to:
§ Assess your own and your family’s health risks.
§ Learn how to reduce those risks.
§ Identify behaviors that, if changed, can improve your health.
§ Undertake personal initiatives to make those changes and track their progress.
§ Find assistance in managing chronic illness for better quality of life and cost control.
§ Research health and medical issues.
More information will come directly from PEBB in the next few weeks.
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| Sustainability Update |
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Societal Costs of Smoking Tagged at $7 Per Pack
During the public tours of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, one of the most-commonly asked questions was: “Is smoking allowed inside prisons?”
Of course, tour guides and staff had the answer ready: “No.” Oregon’s smoke-free workplace laws now prohibit smoking in nearly all workplaces, including prisons. But even before that, the DOC determined the negative effects of smoking required a ban at our prisons. Inmate health, the effects of second-hand smoke, security, and fire-safety issues were all considerations when the department ended inmate smoking January 1, 1996.
Further support for that decision comes from a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It shows that smoking costs the United States $150 billion each year and tags the economic impact of smoking at $3,393 per smoker per year. That translates into an estimated $7.18 in medical costs and lost productivity for every pack of cigarettes sold in this country.
The CDC also found that smoking is still the nation’s leading cause of preventable death. From 1995 through 1999, 440,000 Americans died prematurely of smoking every year.
Says CDC Office on Smoking and Health Director Rosemarie Henson: “The stunning toll that smoking takes on life is unacceptable. States and communities can and should do more to reduce the impact of smoking on the physical and financial health of their communities.” The Oregon Department of Corrections already has. In addition to reduced health care costs, the department is no longer vulnerable to litigation for failure to protect others from exposure to second-hand smoke.
Because smoking was ended, the department has reduced costs for painting and keeping prison grounds clean. The ban also eliminated the workload for correctional staff from inmate requests for housing and cell changes due to their smoking/non-smoking preferences.
An added benefit is that tobacco supplants more serious drugs as the contraband of choice in our facilities. Oregon inmates have one of the lowest rates in the nation of testing positive for drug use. This makes our facilities safer for staff and inmates.
It would be ideal if released offenders are able to stay smoke free after their release. However, even if they renew their habits, they will have improved their health while in the department’s care.
The CDC study is published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and was reported in “Join Together Online,” April 16, 2002.
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| More News |
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Kudos to:
DOC Inspector Mac Reid for receipt of a “Sheriff’s Award” from Yamhill County Sheriff Norm Hand for his volunteer work as a master trainer for the Oregon Police Canine Association and his assistance to the county.
Deschutes Conservation Camp:
Mid-month will see the third annual mobile work camp begin in the Deschutes National Forest. Running until July 19, this year’s camp will be led by Capt. Jeff Forbes (OSP) and Sgt. Shawn Markuson (OSCI). Staffing the camp will be nine correctional officers, and six DOC retirees.
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| Additional Information |
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DOC Corrections News
Oregon Department of Corrections
David S. Cook, Director
The mission of the Oregon Department of Corrections is to
promote public safety by holding offenders accountable for their
actions and reducing the risk of future criminal behavior.
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