| Sept./Oct. Corrections News Online |
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| Director's Message: Public Service |
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Public Service. That is what we all signed on for when we accepted our jobs with the Oregon Department of Corrections. Government, at its best, does those things for society that cannot be effectively done by individuals. Imagine for a moment: How the state and nation’s network of roads and highways would look if not developed by government? How would child welfare be effectively protected by a loose network of non-profits? Would we be willing to accept vigilantes providing public safety protection on our streets and communities?
Don’t get me wrong. I have incredible respect for private enterprise and the impact of volunteers. However, what we do in government is vitally important to society. We in public service do those tasks that create infrastructure and safety nets. We have missions that impact more than just a few individuals. We ensure that the actions taken are designed to benefit and improve Oregon for all Oregonians.
However, as with private-sector businesses, the “bottom line” is also a growing consideration for government agencies. Citizens have a right to expect their government agencies will be efficient, effective and provide a good return on their investment of tax dollars in all that we do. As an example of our commitment to that objective, DOC will soon present our first official report to the Legislature on our implementation of 2003’s Senate Bill 267 – the “evidence-based practices” law.
I helped pass that law when serving as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. It is intended to discontinue ineffective programs, enhance successful programs, and encourage the development of new evidence-based programs if client populations are not successfully served. Its two components measure:
- Evaluate the quality of staff, the success of particular techniques with particular populations, training, feedback mechanisms and other program components that are necessary to successfully serve clients; and
- Requiring that the program can demonstrate that it is cost-effective.
Beginning this biennium, we are required to show that at least 25 percent of state monies for covered programs is spent on programs that are evidence based. That percentage increases each biennium until reaching its ongoing peak of 75 percent in the 2009-11 biennium.
DOC supported SB 267 from the start, having already begun focusing on “best practices” and “what works” when developing programs and budgets. That focus is growing stronger as we continue to apply the Oregon Accountability Model and implement new and better ways to help offenders successfully transition back to their communities after release. This improvement process is ongoing. We demonstrate our commitment to responsible public service every time we look at our processes and make improvements. However, process improvement is not just for programs. Here are just a few other examples:
- Finding a better blanket at a lesser cost. Saving a few dollars on a blanket doesn’t seem like much, but multiply that savings by a few thousand blankets a year and consider that they need to be replaced only half as frequently, and you begin to see the mounting benefits of even a small change.
- Bulk purchasing for DOC and OYA. Serving millions of meals a biennium, DOC and OYA combined buying power and reduced costs for eggs and milk alone by approximately $700,000 this biennium.
- Using geothermal heat. The physical plant at WCCF uses geothermal heat wherever feasible, conserving natural resources and saving 90 percent on heating costs.
- Pre-purchasing non-perishable goods. Knowing that costs were soon increasing by 10 percent, DOC purchased paper products to carry us through the biennium, saving about $200,000.
- Piloting the use of Prius hybrid cars for perimeter patrol at SRCI. What the cars might lack in image is more than offset by quiet operation and the thousands of gallons of gasoline saved each year.
DOC will never be a “profit center” for state government, but the vital public safety function we serve is an important component of a civilized society. The funds dedicated to our work are always carefully balanced against other competing needs for taxpayer dollars. Remember as we effectively manage our budgets – policing ourselves and being effective stewards of the public’s trust – we gain the confidence of lawmakers and citizens that their investment in Corrections is money well-spent for the good of Oregon.
I am proud of the innovations and efforts I see throughout this department to meet our commitment to Oregonians, both in our public safety mission and to the public trust we have been given. Thank you for all that you do in this effort.
Sincerely,
Max Williams
Director
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| Strategic Initiatives Update |
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The Department of Corrections has 13 strategic initiatives for the 2005-2007 biennium. This edition we focus on the Home for Good in Oregon Transition Program project and the Human Resources Information System project.
Home for Good Transition Program
The Home for Good in Oregon (HGO) Transition Program is a statewide partnership among faith and community-based organizations, DOC, and community corrections agencies. The initiative is sponsored by Ginger Martin and co-managed by Heidi Steward and John Tyler. Research evidence suggests that those with strong religious affiliations while in prison have greater success upon release. The positive impact of in-person religious affiliation is likely increased when offenders stay connected with the support of their faith community upon release. The aims of the HGO are to increase the capacity of communities to safely and knowledgeably assist correctional agencies to reintegrate offenders and to help offenders more successfully integrate into their communities. Linn, Douglas, Marion and Josephine counties are the four pilot counties for implementation of HGO.
Recent milestones for this project include the hiring of a Marion County HGO coordinator and a regional chaplain in Douglas County.
Human Resources Information System Project
The Human Resources Information System Project is sponsored by Shellí Honeywell and John Koreski and is co-managed by Sam Nagy and Jennifer Bjerke. The Human Resources Information System Project is the Department’s plan to automate employee services for the Human Services Division. Today, these services are mostly paper-based, labor intensive and a poor source for management data. Automation will improve the efficiency of the services and gather information currently not available to management. Employee services to be automated include personnel records, disciplinary process management, investigation tracking, tort claims tracking, training plan management, time management, training records, and transcripts.
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| Staffing Updates: |
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Gary Kilmer is New CRCI Superintendent
Gary Kilmer left his position as administrator of DOC Labor Relations to become superintendent of Columbia River Correctional Institution on August 28. He succeeds Michael Gower, who became Institutions Administrator in June.
Gary brings a wealth of experience in developing and carrying out strategies to further the Department’s mission, vision and values. As leader of the agency’s collective bargaining team, he maintained and fostered professional working relationships while working through numerous contract, grievance and arbitration issues. Gary joined DOC in 1997 as Recruitment manager, responsible for the statewide recruitment and marketing strategy designed to identify DOC as the “employer of choice” in state government. In that role, he worked to provide career-path opportunities to DOC staff through design and implementation of the Succession Planning Program. Earlier, he worked more than a dozen years for the Oregon Employment Department as a supervisor of job placement, unemployment insurance benefits, and special employment programs including those for ex-offender reemployment and incarcerated veterans.
Gary holds a Bachelor’s degree in recreation and park management from the University of Oregon (where he played rugby for the Ducks), and has done graduate work in public administration at Lewis and Clark College. An avid traveler and baseball fan, he enjoys attending his son’s baseball games.
New Assistant Superintendents Named
On September 1, Troy Bowser became Assistant Superintendent of General Services at Oregon State Correctional Institution; he succeeds Jim Muranaka, who recently retired.
Troy began his career with DOC in 1991 at as a correctional officer at Oregon State Penitentiary, where he assisted with the opening of the new Intensive Management Unit and was one of the founding members of the Honor Guard. In 1995, he left DOC to briefly serve as a Washington County Corrections deputy. Troy returned to DOC in 1996 to OSCI and promoted through the security ranks, serving as a correctional officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, acting executive assistant to the Superintendent, and member of the Tactical Emergency Response Team. He became Security Manager in 2003.
Troy holds an Associate’s degree from Chemeketa Community College. He raises Christmas trees and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America, Cascade FFA, and Cascade youth sports.
Mark Schachtsick has been selected as EOCI’s new Assistant Superintendent of Transitional Services. Mark succeeds Rick Rose, who moved to Two Rivers Correctional Institution as Oregon Corrections Enterprises general manager.
Mark began his DOC career in 1986 as a correctional officer at EOCI. Later serving as a correctional counselor, in 1992 Mark became Transitional Services manager. He also served as acting Assistant Superintendent of General Services and Acting Assistant Superintendent of Transitional Services.
In 1993, Mark became a DOC emergency preparedness instructor and provided training to staff statewide. Mark was instrumental in the planning and conversion of EOCI’s H-Unit to a temporary female housing unit while CCCF was under construction. He also developed and coordinated EOCI’s Youth Awareness Program, in which local teens “at risk” for engaging in criminal activity met with inmates at the institution to learn about confinement and the prison environment in an effort to redirect them away from a criminal lifestyle.
Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in corrections from Western Oregon University. He completed the 2005 Leadership Pendleton class, and in the community has served as host coordinator for the 2A State Basketball Tournament for nearly 20 years, and is actively involved in the Pendleton Little League and Babe Ruth programs.
Barb Cooney is DOC’s New Classification Manager
Barb Cooney left her position as a hearing officer to become the Classification manager in the DOC Office of Population Management on August 28. In this role, Barb is responsible for rules and policies on prison term modifications, work crew eligibility, the Cell Mate program, and implementing the new five-level classification system. Barb also is responsible for ensuring that classification and other housing criteria are considered during analysis and strategy development by the Population Management Office. Barb succeeds Jim Maras, who recently retired.
Barb joined DOC in 1984 as an adult parole and probation officer and later became a pre-sentence investigator. In 1990, Barb became a correctional counselor at OSCI. In 1991, she became an Intake counselor. At that time, she also served as lead worker/acting assistant manager for the Intake Center. Her duties included inmate population management, immediate inmate transfer decisions, and assessing inmate risk and programming needs. 1995, Barb completed a job rotation as a project coordinator developing and implementing the inmate Case Management Information system.
In 1999, Barb accepted the position of Hearings Officer, conducting inmate disciplinary, administrative segregation and Special Management Unit hearings. She also serves as a member of the Special Population Strategic Initiative Committee, which makes recommendations on new ideas and strategies for successfully managing the inmate population. Barb holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology/psychology from Western Oregon University.
Purchasing/Contracts Manager Jan Lemke Hired
Jan Lemke was selected as the new Fiscal Services Purchasing/Contracts Manager. Jan came to DOC in July from the Department of Administrative Services Publishing and Distribution Section, where she served as Printing and Distribution Services Manager. Jan succeeds Don Charlton who was promoted to become DOC’s Distribution Services administrator.
Jan has more than 14 years of State of Oregon experience in customer service and procurement. Jan retired from the United States Naval Reserve and has a Bachelor’s degree from George Fox University. She lives in Salem, has three children, and enjoys camping, hiking and reading.
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| 2006 Charitable Fund Drive |
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The Charitable Fund Drive is an annual event that began in 1989 as a way to offer state employees access to a wide range of charities through a once-a-year campaign. Last year, state employees contributed almost $850,000, of which $25,558.93 was contributed by Department of Corrections’ staff.
This year’s drive will kick-off on September 25 and run through October 6. The site coordinator for your area will provide more information soon.
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| PEBB Open Enrollment |
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As usual, open enrollment this year will be during October. This year, there is NO mandatory open enrollment, so only those individuals who want to change, add or drop their benefits need to participate. Similar to last year, open enrollment will be completed on-line; you will not receive a printed packet. There are no changes in medical or dental plans this year and no additional optional benefits. For additional information and updates regarding open enrollment, employees are encouraged to visit the PEBB website at: http://egov.oregon.gov/DAS/PEBB/
Employees wanting to compare benefits related to different medical/dental plans can go to https://pebb.benefits.oregon.gov/members/!pb.mainand click on "COMPARE PLANS" in the left-hand navigation bar.
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| 2006 DOC Statewide Awards Ceremony Recap |
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The 2006 DOC Statewide Awards Ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at Winema Place in Salem. There was a tremendous turnout, as many staff members from throughout the State were able to attend. The annual awards ceremony is held to honor the truly outstanding work done by the staff, contractors and volunteers of the Department. During the ceremony, staff who completed 20, 25 and 30 years of service with the Department also were honored. Congratulations to all of the award recipients honored at the ceremony:
DOC Employee of the Year
Chris Hooley, Douglas County Parole & Probation Officer
Correctional Officer of the Year
Officer Bill Hanley, PRCF
Manager of the Year
Ray Brixey, ISSD Statewide Business Services Manager
Outstanding Volunteer Award
Carole Pope, Director of Project Linkup
OCE Employee of the Year
Megan Wilson, OCE Laundry and Sign Shop Production Coordinator
Community Corrections Outstanding Service Award
Christina Marie Shippey, Coos County Community Corrections
Contractor of the Year
Cindi Scott, Turning Point Manager
Outstanding Service Awards
Bob Metzger, Inmate Systems Administrator
Special Recognition
Will Jeanie Priest, Transport Unit Executive Support (at the time of Jeanie’s retirement on June 30, Jeanie was the most-senior employee in the Department with 36 years of service)
Director’s Awards
Bob Martinez, TRCI Acting Unit Team Manager
Krista Fegley, Classification and Personnel Records Manager for the Human Resources Division
Gina Raney, Operations and Policy Analyst for the Transitional Services Division
Greg Morton, Administrator of the Professional Development Unit of the Human Resources Division
Brenda Dennis in Operations Division, Classification
Sergeant Ken Hegge, EOCI Bill Jewell, Inmate Work Coordinator John Taylor, Information Services Technical Support Analyst
Amos Reed Award
Richard Ackley, CRCI Security Manager
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| Newsletter Changes |
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Effective with this edition of Corrections News Online, Public Services Division Executive Support Wendy Hatfield has assumed primary responsibility for writing articles; Nancy Sellers will focus on the editorial aspects of the newsletter. If you would like to see something featured in the newsletter, please feel free to contact Wendy at (503) 945-0930 or by e-mail to wendy.r.hatfield@state.or.us.
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| More News... |
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The following new federal reports are available on-line:
Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/svrca05.htm
This publication shows incidence of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate sexual violence as reported to correctional authorities. Some quick facts include:
- Correctional authorities substantiated 885 incidents of sexual violence in 2005, 15 percent of completed investigations.
- 38 percent of allegations involved staff sexual misconduct; 35 percent inmate-on-inmate nonconsensual sexual acts; 17 percent, staff sexual harassment; and 10 percent inmate-on-inmate abusive sexual contact.
- Half of inmate-on-inmate sexual violence involved physical force or threat of force.
Criminal Victimization in the United States 2004 – Statistical Tables, Annual
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvusst.htm
These statistical tables present detailed data on major variables measured by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
Homicide Trends in the United States
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm
This site contains a series of charts that describe homicide patterns and trends in the United States since 1976.
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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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