New Staff Taking Shape
 
The department's recruiters have been some of the busiest folks in town since spring. Retirements, transfers and promotions account for most of the career opportunities, but staffing for new prisons is beginning to gain attention. Since April, four assistant directors, seven superintendents, two assistant superintendents and several miscellaneous management positions have been filled.
 
"The candidates who were ultimately appointed demonstrated a high level of professional experience in corrections and a commitment to our mission, vision and values," said Director Dave Cook. "Specifically, people were selected who will hold offenders accountable for their actions by combining public safety with programs that reduce the risk of future criminal behavior. A strong emphasis was placed on candidates' abilities to develop inmates' job skills and create partnerships to successfully transition offenders back into the community.
 
"I can't emphasize enough how important it was to us to select individuals who will move the department forward, make Measure 17 successful (the inmates to work initiative), implement our new incarceration plan as part of the public safety continuum, and establish programs that will lower recidivism," Mr. Cook explained. "Equally important, we looked for individuals with a combination of interests, including the potential for leadership in the community.
 
"We think we found them."
 
A rundown in brief of the appointments since April: Nick Armenakis and Frank Thompson are co-assistant directors of the Institutions Division. Glenn Riley was appointed the assistant director of Information Systems and Services Division. Kris Kautz will take the reins of the Human Resources Division. Jean Hill is now superintendent of Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Dan Johnson will soon take over at Powder River Correctional Institution. Joan Palmateer is the penitentiary's next superintendent.
 
Two newcomers from out-of-state, Robert Lampert and Guy Hall, will manage, respectively, Snake River Correctional Institution and Santiam Correctional Institution. Mitch Morrow will be superintendent of Oregon State Correctional Institution. Bob Schiedler was tapped superintendent of the new Two Rivers Correctional Institution. Jim Bartlett moves to central administration as chief of security. Tony Santos will be assistant superintendent of OSCI and Brad Heath will be one of three assistant superintendents at SRCI. Daniel Van Lehman will join the Director's Office as an assistant to the director and deputy director.
Recruitment is underway to fill a number of vacant assistant superintendent positions caused by promotions and transfers.
 
On the Road Again
 
July 6 was a landmark day for Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla: minimum custody inmates arrived on site, ready to work.
 
Given the terrific success of inmate workers helping with the construction at Snake River Correctional Institution, it may be surprising that we even mention the inmates at TRCI. However, the circumstances make the work program noteworthy - there is no housing available for inmates in Umatilla, so the inmates are bused in from Powder River Correctional Facility.
 
Four days a week, ten inmates board a prison van in Baker City and are driven to Umatilla. Seven and a half hours later, four days a week, ten inmates board that same van in Umatilla and return to Baker City.
 
That's 270 miles round trip, in case you were counting.
 
This pace will be maintained until about September 1, when the minimum security facility at TRCI will be ready for occupancy.
 
The inmates are preparing cells for painting, performing site cleanup and assisting with onsite welding projects.
 
Controlling Drugs in Prison
 
Random Drug Testing
More than 30 state corrections departments participate in the Random Baseline Urinalysis Program. The program calls for random monthly drug testing of five percent of the inmate population.
 
The national yearly average for participating states is 8.9 percent positive. The yearly average for the Oregon Department of Corrections has remained below one percent for the last three years - in fact, through June our average for the year was .78 percent, the average for the six months ending in June was .63 percent and there were no positives in the month of May.
 
"Drug interdiction makes our prisons a safer place to work and live," Inspector General Les Dolecal explained. She attributes DOC's successes to the use of drug detection dogs, dedicated narcotics investigators, vigilant staff and appropriate sanctions for offenders.
 
Cost of Drug Testing
In 1995, ODOC collected 7565 inmate urine samples for analysis. All were tested by the State Hospital Drug Detection Unit for $10 each ($75,650 total). In March, 1997, ODOC equipped eight prisons with SYVA urinalysis equipment. The average cost per UA sample, testing for methamphetamine, cocaine, THC, opiates and alcohol, is now $3 per test. All positive samples are retested, then sent to Metro Legacy Lab for confirmation. In the twelve months ending March 31, 1998, 21,806 samples were tested at a cost of $73,901 (including confirmation testing).
 
Types of Drug Testing
The Department of Corrections has four types of urinalysis testing programs:
 
1. Random Baseline Testing: Monthly computer generated lists name five percent of each institution's population to be tested. The tests are conducted weekly; even the dates are randomly selected by a computer program.
 
2. Special Testing: Institution staff and/or department investigators occasionally determine a need to test a specific group of inmates within a facility.
 
3. Program Testing: Inmates participating in drug and alcohol programs are tested more frequently than other inmates ­ at least once per month.
 
4. Suspicion Testing: Any inmate at any time suspected of either possessing, using and/or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is tested.
 
Art Becomes Work
 
A program that started as a work-based education program in woodworking and finishing is on the brink of becoming a new business opportunity for the DOC as an inmate work program. Demand for the intarsia art product developed at Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem, is driving the change of focus.
 
The intarsia art program at OSCI creates pictures with wood pieces - much like a puzzle. This, however, is a fine mosaic art form dating back to fifteenth century Italy. The method teaches inmates how to develop quality marketable woodworking and refinishing skills.
 
OSCI inmates, under the direction of vocational instructor Bill Roach, have been adding a third dimension to the traditionally flat art. By shaping and fitting individual pieces together that are not flush on the "z plane," the mosaic takes shape in depth as well as breadth.
 
The pictures that are created are not painted; different woods are used that have their own natural hues. These woods are gathered from all over the world and assembled with amazing detail, craftsmanship and inventiveness.
 
Inmate Intarsia will be on display at the Oregon State Fair, August 27 ­ September 7. Many pieces will be offered for sale and others will be entered into woodworking competitions. Sales support work and workforce training programs designed to help inmates develop the skills necessary to successfully re-enter society following release from prison.
 
Intarsia customers include Made in Oregon, Troutdale Station located on the scenic Columbia River Highway, and Spirit Mountain Casino. Commissioned sales and custom orders in the making include coffee tables, murals, and some interior decoration. Inmates can transform almost anything into Intarsia including photographs.
 
Women Inmates Housed in New Mexico
 
Transfer of 119 female inmates to a private prison in Gallup, New Mexico, was completed on Monday, July 20. Thirty-nine inmates were transferred by the US Marshals Service and joined 80 inmates who were transferred from a private facility in Arizona as well as from Oregon in late June.
 
Snake River Construction Update
 
The expansion of Snake River Correctional Institution from 648 beds to 2996 beds is substantially complete. Some work remains, and there is a lot of landscaping work for inmates to do, but Oregon can now officially boast that it is home to one of the nation's largest prisons.
 
About 1500 beds are currently occupied, with more coming on line as soon as the infrastructure will accommodate the greater numbers. Occupancy will coincide with bed demand and the hiring and training of additional staff.
The substantial completion of construction was celebrated at a well attended reception in mid-July. More than 250 people from the community and the prison were present to recognize the hard work of the architects, contractors and project managers. A special award was given to outgoing superintendent Dan Johnson.
 
Factoids
 
o Columbia River Correctional Institution in Portland has 30 documented gang affiliates and suspects.
 
o 418 male inmates and 44 female inmates were received by the department in June.
 
o OSCI logged 2,550 visits to inmates in June.
 
o There are 45 inmates on Life Without Parole status at Oregon State Penitentiary.
 
Few Inmates Affected by Measure 40 Decision
 
As a result of the Oregon Supreme Court's decision last month which invalidated Ballot Measure 40 (Armatta v. Kitzhaber), the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) released seven inmates in July who became subject to release under applicable laws that were in place before Ballot Measure 40 took effect on December 5, 1996.
 
Prior to the Armatta decision, ODOC had interpreted Ballot Measure 40, based on advice of legal counsel in the Department of Justice, to require an affirmative order by the sentencing court before a defendant was eligible to be considered by ODOC for sentence reduction credits (earned time), and for participation in work release and boot camp. Because the 1997 Legislative Assembly enacted into law a statutory provision imposing this same requirement (SB 936, codified at ORS 137.750), the Supreme Court's decision invalidating Ballot Measure 40 affects only a relatively few number of inmates currently incarcerated in ODOC correctional facilities. The affected inmates were convicted and sentenced for crimes committed in the six month window between the effective date of Ballot Measure 40 (December 5, 1996) and before the effective date of SB 936 (June 12, 1997).
 
Upon advice of legal counsel in the Department of Justice, ODOC is currently reviewing the records of approximately two hundred inmates who were convicted and sentenced to ODOC custody for crimes committed in this six-month period. If appropriate, ODOC will adjust the release dates of additional inmates who may now be entitled to a reduction in their incarceration terms under applicable law. Some inmates who were previously deemed ineligible by ODOC for consideration for work release and boot camp may now also be considered by ODOC for participation in these programs.
 
"Fortunately the law is clear regarding inmates who committed their crimes after SB 936 went into effect on June 12, 1997," said Larry Daniels, manager of the DOC's Offender Information and Sentence Computation Unit. "Only a relatively few inmates are affected by the Armatta decision and thanks to ongoing legal advice from the Department of Justice, we will be able to make sure people are released at the appropriate time with a transition plan in place."
 
Affected inmates may earn up to a maximum of 20 percent reduction in their prison terms for acceptable institutional behavior and participation in rehabilitative programs required by ODOC. Once granted, earned time credits may also be retracted for unacceptable behavior. Accordingly, ODOC considers earned time to be a valuable tool for the management of ODOC correctional facilities.
 
Under SB 936, the sentencing court is required to determine whether a convicted defendant may be considered by ODOC for earned time. Inmates who were convicted and sentenced under Measure 11 may not be considered for earned time for their Measure 11 convictions.
 
Reminder
 
If you are a legislator, candidate for the Legislature or a member of news media editorial boards or management, you should have recently received a special invitation to tour department facilities. Please don't forget to sign up as soon as possible!
 
 
 

last revision 2-28-2000 peg cook

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