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DRCI receives its first inmates
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News Release from: Oregon Dept. of Corrections
Posted: September 10th, 2007 3:47 PM
Oregon's 14th state prison received 35 inmates today, marking its official opening.
Inmate transport buses and vans pulled up for the first time today to Deer Ridge Correctional Institution (DRCI), marking the opening of Oregon's 14th state prison.
DRCI is located in central Oregon, four miles east of Madras. It comprises two discrete facilities under one management team: a 644-bed minimum-security facility that opened today and a 1,223-bed medium-security facility slated to open in February 2008.
Of the 644 minimum-security beds, 212 will be dedicated to special treatment programs. "The Department of Corrections' mission focuses on public safety and crime prevention," explains DOC Director Max Williams. "The Legislature recognizes that incarceration alone is not enough to protect Oregonians; treatment for mental illness and substance abuse are essential to reducing the likelihood that an inmate will leave prison and reoffend."
The first inmates to be assigned to DRCI were transferred from other minimum-security facilities across the state. The inmates were selected for the job skills they will bring to the new facility, including experienced cooks, laundry workers, landscapers and custodians.
Superintendent Sharon Blacketter praised DRCI's staff for a "flawless" first day. "From the moment the first bus arrived just after 10 this morning, everything went smoothly," she said. "The staff were prepared, and the inmates were in good spirits.
"From the time each transport pulled into the sallyport, everyone was checked in within 30 minutes," Blacketter continued. "The inmates will be housed together in one dormitory, and all 35 will attend a full-day orientation tomorrow."
The inmates who arrived today came from: Oregon State Penitentiary (5 inmates), Santiam Correctional Institution (4) and Mill Creek Correctional Facility (4), all in Salem; Two Rivers Correctional Institution (1) in Umatilla; Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (2) in Pendleton, Warner Creek Correctional Institution (10) in Lakeview, and Snake River Correctional Institution (9) in Ontario.
Oregon's prisons are full; DRCI's becoming operational will alleviate population pressures being felt by other prisons statewide. Prison beds are timed to open gradually, matching the occupancy rate to the number of beds needed to accommodate Oregon's growing prison population. The prison is opening in phases, with 665 inmates slated to arrive by March 2008, 976 by June 2009, reaching full capacity of 1,867 by May 2013.
DRCI construction started in October 2005, and the prison's footprint covers approximately 200 acres of the 453-acre site. The minimum security facility was completed in March 2007 and the medium-security prison will be completed and ready to accommodate inmates in February 2008. The total budget is $190.4 million, funded through Certificates of Participation.
When completed, the prison will include areas for inmate housing, work and education programs, health services, food services, physical plant maintenance, storage, vehicle maintenance and administration. The state brought to the facility, or paid for added capacity, infrastructure such as roads, water, telecommunications, electrical power, sewer and natural gas services.
The minimum-security facility is expected to employ approximately 150 - 200 people with an annual payroll of $6-8 million. Once completed and fully operational, the entire prison is projected to employ between 400 to 500, with an estimated annual payroll of $22 million.
"To date, more than 125 staff are on board, and recruiting is open for 100 more," Blacketter said. "Our initial team comprises a core of experienced corrections professionals pulled from other facilities in the state, with 34 percent hired locally. Our focus for the next phase of recruiting is to pull more candidates from Central Oregon."
Official opening ceremonies and public tours of the medium-security facility are scheduled for November. "Years of preparation lie behind today's opening of the DRCI minimum-security facility," Blacketter pointed out. "There are literally hundreds of people to thank for our progress to date, and I wish I could acknowledge each and every one.
"Today, however, I would like to extend special thanks to all of the people from the Madras area, particularly members of our Prison Advisory Committee, for their interest, involvement, and the gracious welcome they have extended to us from the community."
Bus with first inmates
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DRCI Minimum Prison
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