| FAQs About Oregon Prisons |
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| Can you tell me if someone has been in prison? |
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Yes. We can tell you if someone has been sentenced to felony probation or has served time in prison in Oregon.
Call (503) 945-9090 during normal business hours with the person´s full name and birth date.
This is a free service of the Department of Corrections.
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| Does Oregon have the Death Penalty? |
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Yes, there are currently 30 inmates sentenced to die in Oregon. Twenty-nine are housed at the Oregon State Penitentiary. One is housed at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla. All inmates sentenced to death have been convicted of Aggravated Murder.
Oregon voters reinstated the death penalty in 1984.
Since then, there have been two executions. Douglas Wright was executed by lethal injection on September 6, 1996. Harry Moore was executed by lethal injection on May 16, 1997. Before Wright, the last inmate to be executed was LeeRoy Sanford McGahuey in 1962, the method used being the gas chamber.
Oregon uses only lethal injection for its executions.
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| How can inmates tolerate this kind of life? |
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Successful inmates, those who will become good citizens on the outside, say that "making it" in prison is a matter of attitude. Those who hold jobs in prison, those who participate in the many programs that the state has to offer for inmates, and those who follow the rules have the best chance of leaving prison as better people than when they were admitted.
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| How come Oregon doesn't have chain gangs? |
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Chain gangs do nothing to contribute to the department´s efforts to mold citizens out of criminals.
We have learned that what works in corrections is a sound, consistent policy of preserving public safety by reducing an offender´s risk of criminal conduct.
That mission can be achieved by restructuring the way inmates think, educating them, and teaching them job skills and tools that will allow them to succeed on the outside.
The voters affirmed and strengthened this philosophy in their overwhelming support of the Prison Reform and Inmate Work Act of 1994 (Measure 17) which requires virtually all state inmates to be engaged in work or job training. The Penitentiary, along with the other institutions in the department will be providing work related services to Oregon´s citizens in a variety of ways. Citizens will profit and inmates will learn valuable skills to meet their future needs.
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| How do I find out more about working in corrections? |
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Please visit the Web site at, http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/HR/careers.shtml, to find out about career opportunities.
Most entry level positions in the department are correctional officers, who supervise the day-to-day activities of the state´s inmate population.
The department provides training and uniforms. Officers supervise inmates 24 hours a day and work many different shifts.
It is an exciting and rewarding career with many opportunities for advancement.
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| How many ex-inmates succeed after release? |
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Oregon´s recidivism rate is about 30%. That means that 3 out of every 10 people who were released from prison three years ago have returned to prison. They may have committed a new crime, or they may have violated the terms of their release and had their parole revoked.
This is one of the best records of any state in the nation, and it indicates that our state is doing a good job making good citizens out of criminals.
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| How many prisons does Oregon have? |
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Oregon has 13 prisons with the penitentiary being the only maximum security institution.
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| What are you doing about overcrowding? |
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On a short term basis, emergency beds have been added to the various institutions in the department.
Over the long term, new prison beds will be built. The newest facilities are Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla and Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.
In addition, construction is underway on Warner Creek Correctional Facility, a 400-bed men´s minimum facility in Lakeview. Site preparation has begun on a 2000-bed men´s medium and minimum facility in Madras.
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| What is prison life like? |
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Convicted criminals are sent to prison as punishment. They lose all of their freedom and have to follow very strict rules of conduct and order. They do retain some rights as granted by our state and federal constitutions.
The penitentiary is like a city within the city of Salem, Oregon. We have a mayor (the superintendent), police (security staff), a jail (the disciplinary segregation unit), laws (administrative rules), judges (hearings officers), a store (the canteen), houses (inmate slang for cells), medical care (infirmary), library (law, education and lending), civic organizations (clubs), worship (chapel), a park (the recreation yard), a cafeteria, and of course employment in various jobs throughout the institution.
There is no privacy in the penitentiary, meaning that inmates dress, shower, and use the bathroom in the company of other inmates. Inmates are required to make their bunks and keep their personal possessions neat and tidy. All inmates wear identical clothing. The possessions they are allowed must be purchased from the canteen.
Meal times are assigned and inmates have 25 minutes in which to eat and leave the dining room, there are no seconds.
Inmates are subject to searches of their person and/or cell at any time. All movements of inmates from one area to another are regulated.
Visiting is strictly limited.
All phone calls (except legal calls) are recorded and monitored and must be made collect or with a pre-paid debit card.
There is "no smoking" at the penitentiary.
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| What is the difference between parole and probation? |
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Probation is a type of sentence imposed by a judge in lieu of incarceration.
Parole (or "post-prison supervision" for people sentenced under the Sentencing Guidelines system) describes a period of time served in the community following incarceration. It is designed to be a transition time to freedom. These offenders are supervised by a parole and probation officer in the community for a specific length of time. There are many conditions, rules and, for some, treatment requirements attached. If an offender violates these conditions or refuses to comply, they can be sanctioned or sent to prison.
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| Why do inmates get out of prison early? |
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There is a common misconception that inmates are released early from prison because of the old system of parole. Parole boards would use their discretion to set release dates that were often far short of sentences imposed by judges.
Oregon abolished parole in 1989 when the legislature enacted truth in sentencing laws called Sentencing Guidelines.
There are still some inmates in prison under the old system but most are now incarcerated for a predetermined period of time.
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