Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution
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The Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution is one of 14 state
prisons A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...
in
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The prison is located in
Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are ...
. The facility was originally built in 1912 as the Eastern Oregon State Hospital, a hospital for long-term mental patients, but was converted into a prison in 1983. In addition to providing confinement housing, food service, and medical care, the correctional facility offers education,
vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people for a Skilled worker, skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self em ...
, and work opportunities within the prison. Inmates at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution produce ''Prison Blues'' garments, an internationally marketed clothing line.


History

Most of the facilities that now house the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution were built in 1912 and 1913. They were originally built for use as Eastern Oregon State Hospital, a former state
mental hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...
. They were designed by William C. Knighton, the State Architect. With . As such, the buildings housed the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center until the
Oregon 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 chamber: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the H ...
authorized their conversion into a men's medium-security prison in 1983. When the first inmates arrived at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution on 24 June 1985, the prison became Oregon's first state correctional facility located outside Marion County."Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution"
Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Oregon Department of Corrections, ''OREGON.gov'', Salem, Oregon, 17 September 2008.
Today, the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution is one of 14 state prisons run 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 f ...
. As of 2009, the prison was the fourth largest employer in Pendleton.


Facilities and correctional programs

The Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution is a 1600-bed facility located in Pendleton, Oregon. It has 19 separate general population housing units with 596 dormitory beds and 897 confined cell beds. There is also a 99-bed single-occupancy disciplinary segregation unit and an 8-bed infirmary. Medical care is provided to all inmates as required. The medical services include sick call, ambulatory care, dental services, health education, and emergency care. There are also programs for control of
communicable diseases infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable disea ...
, sex offender treatment, and treatment for
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
and
drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
. The state prison's Health Services Unit also conducts quality assurance and peer review of all medical services provided to inmates."Department of Corrections Records Guide"
Oregon State Archives, Oregon Secretary of State, Salem, Oregon, May 1996.
The prison provides behavioral health services including
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
education and counseling, mental health case management services, mental health day treatment, and crisis intervention counseling. Anger-management classes are available to inmates as well. The opportunity to participate in religious services is also provided. The faith-based programs help inmates make peace with their past and search for personal meaning in their life. These programs are all voluntary and available to all inmates.


Education and vocational training

Blue Mountain Community College Blue Mountain Community College is a public community college in Pendleton, Oregon, United States. It serves Umatilla and Morrow counties as well as most of Baker County. It was established in 1962 and offers Associate of Arts degrees, Associ ...
provides educational services at the prison. Between 1986 and 2009, approximately 1,000 inmates received either a
General Educational Development The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four academic subject tests in the United States and its territories certifying academic knowledge equivalent to a high school diploma. This certification is an alternative to the U ...
certificate or a high school diploma through the institution's basic educational program. In 1999, the prison expanded education opportunities through a program called the ''New Directions Education Project''. The program offers inmates college level courses taught by instructors from Blue Mountain Community College. The cost of tuition, textbooks, and supplies are covered by donations from local churches, civic groups, foundations, and members of the public. The prison's creative arts program was begun in 2001. It includes wood working and cast iron work. The program provides meaningful work while inmates learn valuable job skills in a realistic work environment. This improves an inmate's chance of getting a job and becoming a productive citizen upon release from prison. The creative arts program is self-financing, and has helped other state agencies develop similar wood working programs. Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution's commercial laundry cleans clothing and other items for the Snake River Correctional Institution as well as its own prison population. In addition, it provides laundry cleaning services to the Pendleton's convention center, the city's fire department, the local high school, and neighboring businesses. Other inmate work opportunities include the
prison food Prison food is the term for meals served to prisoners while incarcerated in correctional institutions. While some prisons prepare their own food, many use staff from on-site catering companies. Prisoners will typically receive a series of stand ...
service, clerical job, and facility maintenance.


''Prison Blues''

Commercial ''Prison Blues'' brand garments are produced at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. The garment manufacturing operation is one of the largest prison industries in the state. The ''Prison Blues'' enterprise manufactures denim blue jeans, yard coats, and work shirts for Oregon prison inmates and commercial sales to the public."Insideoutclothing"
, Insideoutclothing, ''www.prisonblues.com.au'', Bald Hills, Queensland, Australia, 7 February 2009.
The ''Prison Blues'' production facility was established in 1989 by ''Inside Oregon Enterprises'', a division of the Oregon Department of Corrections. The start-up cost for the production facility was financed by a Federal grant, but the operation is now self-financing."Prison Blues"
Correction Connection, ''www.correctionconnectionprisonblues.com'', Pendleton, Oregon, 7 February 2009.
By 1998, the ''Prison Blues'' brand was being sold in 30 states and overseas. In 2001, ''Prison Blues'' began marketing its denim jeans and other garments on-line.
''Portland Business Journal'', Portland, Oregon, 15 June 2001.
Today, the ''Prison Blues'' brand is a successful commercial product line sold across the United States and internationally. Inmates who work in the ''Prison Blues'' factory are all volunteers. In fact, there is always a long waiting list of inmates who would like to join the ''Prison Blues'' workforce. To be eligible, an inmate must have a record of good conduct and successfully interview with the factory personnel office, an experience that helps inmates prepare for job interviews outside prison. Once hired, an inmate must continue to demonstrate good behavior and produce garments that meet the ''Prison Blues'' standard of quality. Inmates working in the ''Prison Blues'' factory are paid prevailing private sector wages, of which they receive twenty percent."Prison Blues - About Us"
Correction Connection Prison Blues Retail Center, ''http://www.prisonblues.net/about'', Accessed 11 June 2019.
They are also eligible for quality and productivity bonuses. Eighty percent of their salary is returned to the state to help cover the cost of incarceration, pay victim restitution, and provide family support. Inmates also pay both state and Federal taxes on their earnings. The inmate can save the remaining amount or use it to provide additional family support, take college courses, or purchase items at the prison store.


Visiting

At the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, visiting is permitted five days a week, Wednesday through Friday and every other Saturday; there are two visiting periods each day. In the morning the visiting hours are from 0830 until 1115, while afternoon visiting hours are from 1300 until 1545. The prison is closed to visitors on Mondays and Tuesdays.


In popular culture

In the 1975 film ''
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...
'' the institution is metonymously referenced several times as Pendleton, and it is implied that the character of R.P McMurphy has been incarcerated there prior to his commitment to the hospital in which the film takes place. Pendleton is explicitly referenced several times in the
Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and Counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies o ...
novel.


References


External links


Eastern Oregon Correctional InstitutionPrison Blues Clothing
{{State prisons in Oregon Prisons in Oregon Buildings and structures in Pendleton, Oregon 1985 establishments in Oregon Government buildings completed in 1912 Men's prisons