Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility was a state-run juvenile

correctional facility In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and s ...

located in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary bet ...

, United States, established in 1914. Hillcrest was run by the

Oregon Youth Authority The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) is a state agency of Oregon, headquartered in Suite 500 of the 530 Center St. NE building in Salem. The agency operates juvenile corrections. A juvenile crime prevention task force chaired by then-Attorney Gene ...

(OYA), Oregon's juvenile corrections agency. It was closed on September 1, 2017, and all youth, staff, and programs were moved to

MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is a correctional facility in unincorporated area, unincorporated Marion County, Oregon, Marion County, Oregon, United States, Also see Woodburn, OR mapfrom the Census Bureau. near Woodburn, Oregon, Woodburn. ...

in Woodburn as part of a major project to consolidate the two facilities. Hillcrest was originally founded as the State Industrial School for Girls, following the 1891 establishment of a boys' reformatory school. It later became co-gender in the 1970s, and served males ages 12–25 who were violent or in need of substance abuse treatment. The facility had a budgeted capacity of 180 beds. Hillcrest also served as the location for statewide male intake and parole violator intake assessment for youth offenders. Robert S. Farrell High School was located on site.

History

The facility originally opened as the State Industrial School for Girls in 1914. It was the state's first

reform school A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who wer ...

for girls. A boys' facility was opened 1891, and concern was expressed that there was a need for a similar institution for "erring daughters". The girls' facility opened in 1913 in the old Polytechnic Building on the grounds of the Oregon School for the Deaf while Hillcrest was being built. The school was renamed Hillcrest School for Girls, and later the Hillcrest School of Oregon. The facility became co-gender in the mid-1970s. Hillcrest became an all-male facility in 2008, when

Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

for female offenders was established in Albany.

Oversight

For part of its history, Hillcrest was managed by the Oregon State Board of Control. Hillcrest was operated by the

Oregon Department of Corrections The Oregon Department of Corrections is the agency of the U.S. state of Oregon charged with managing a system of 12 state prisons since its creation by the state legislature in 1987. In addition to having custody of offenders sentenced to prison ...

(DOC) from 1965–1971. When the Children's Services Division in the Department of Human Resources (now the

Oregon Department of Human Services The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is the principal human services agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. ODHS helps Oregonians achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect c ...

) was created, it took over oversight of the facility from the DOC. In 1995, a bill was introduced in the

Oregon State Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...

that would establish an independent department, the Oregon Youth Authority, to administer Oregon's youth correctional facilities. The bill became law that same year and the Oregon Youth Authority became a division of the Oregon Department of Human Resources. In 1996, the Oregon Youth Authority became an independent department of the

State of Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

Notable residents

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

References

External links

Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility
(official website)
Historic photos of Hillcrest
from Salem Public Library
Slideshow includes historic image of aftermath of riot at Hillcrest in 1955
from the

Oregon State Archives The Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or the Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. The Oregon State Archives is ...

Slideshow includes image of Hillcrest girls cooking, circa 1965
from the Oregon State Archives
First Biennial Report of the Oregon State Board of Control
Acting Superintendent's Report: Oregon State Industrial School for Girls (1915) {{authority control State agencies of Oregon Buildings and structures in Salem, Oregon Prisons in Oregon Juvenile detention centers in the United States 1914 establishments in Oregon 2017 disestablishments in Oregon

History

Oversight

Notable residents

See also

References

External links