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News
Street Roots • Jan. 6-12, 2017
News
Street Roots • Jan. 6-12, 2017
INMATE JOBS, fro m page 5
PART II: Education and training programs
Oregon Corrections Enterprises strives to
provide meaningful work opportunities that
help inmates develop jobs skills that will
help them enter Oregon’s workforce after
their release. But by law, they must do that
without offering products or services that
compete with Oregon industries or creating
jobs that would undercut the local workforce
outside the prison.
Balancing these conflicting mandates “is
very, very difficult,” said the agency’s
administrator, Ken Jeske.
BY CORRINE ELLIS
this,’” Gastoni said.
The program has a 15-student capacity each
year. Despite the praise that the program
ars in varying degrees of assembly fill
receives from past students, enrollment has
up the automotive shop at Oregon State
been falling below expectations. The program
Penitentiary, from a classic Porsche to a
currently has 12 second- and 10 first-year
1965 Volvo. In the back of the shop is a small
students. This is due in part to the nature of
classroom. Inside, half a dozen men sit around
prison, said Gastoni. Inmates get in fights or
tables, focused on the textbooks sprawled in
have other issues that result in them being
front of them.
removed from the program, or are ineligible
But learning here goes well beyond the
for it to begin with.
textbook. For many of the participants, the
Chemeketa also offers a Computer Assisted
biggest lesson is how to work with others.
Drafting program at Santiam Correctional
They face challenges every day that require
Institute, with the option of obtaining an
them to work as a team and communicate
associate degree.
with one another.
One of the most effective ways to prepare
The two-year program is offered through
inmates for the outside is through education,
Chemeketa Community College and gives
according to a 2014 study conducted by the
students in-class and hands-on automotive
RAND Corporation. The study, which
experience. With the completion of general
examined the effects of prison education
education classes offered through the college,
programs, concluded that inmates were 13
participants of the automotive class can
percent more likely to get a job after being
receive their associate degree in automotive
released if they had participated in some form
technologies upon completion.
P H O T O B Y JO E G L O D E
of correctional education.
With the assistance of the Pell Pilot
Ä7Z
Gastoni teaches the automotive class at
The study also concluded that inmates who
Program, many participants of the automotive
Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, p a rt o f
participated in educational programs were 43
program are now able to take their general
Chemeketa Com m unity College’s College Inside
percent less likely to experience reoffend
education classes free of charge. This includes
program
within three years than those who didn’t
math and writing classes needed to earn the
participate.
automotive technologies degree.
Education assessment is one step in the
“I was in a very deep, dark depression, and
The automotive program itself, while not
initial
intake process for all inmates. As of
I
just
wanted
to
leave
OSP,”
Lee
said.
“And
covered by Pell, costs inmates $25 per term.
2014, of those who entered prison without a
now with this going on, after the two-year
Tucker said the small fee helps the
high school diploma or equivalent, 67.1
program, there is an option to stay in and
participants feel as though they’re making an
percent were released having earned a GED.
become
a
worker,
and
I
would
like
to
be
able
investment and makes them more likely to
However, with a statewide prison
to do that for another year or more if
complete the degree.
population of nearly 15,000 inmates, education
possible.”
Bill Gastoni has been teaching the class for
programs are few and far between. GED and
After dropping out of high school at age 16,
the past 14 years. Gastoni is proud of the
adult basic education programs are standard
Lee
said
he
had
to
get
used
to
the
classroom
success stories that have come out of his
fare at all 14 of Oregon’s correctional facilities.
setting again, but now feels more confident
shop. His program boasts a recidivism rate of
Beyond that, however, inmates are left with
about
leaving
prison
and
finding
a
job.
2.5 percent and an average GPA of 3.8 for
few options. Coffee Creek Correctional
While Taylor and Lee are both dedicated to
those who complete the program.
Facility, the state’s only women’s prison,
the
program,
Gastoni
said
that’s
not
the
case
Altogether, the recidivism rate for
offers the widest range of courses, including a
for everyone. Oftentimes students don’t give it
graduates of Chemeketa’s College Inside is 6
hair salon and a barista training program. But
their
all
or
their
hearts
aren’t
in
it,
Gastoni
percent, compared with 24.6 percent of
at other facilities, there isn’t much available to
said.
inmates in Oregon state prisons who are
provide inmates with an education that can
“Some
of
them
are
disappointing.
They’re
convicted of a felony within three years of
help them succeed outside of prison.
just
here
because
they
want
to
stay
at
OSP
being released.
One of the biggest roadblocks to expanding
and don’t have anything better to do but don’t
Inmate Kenneth Taylor, a recent graduate
education programs, as with many state-run
have
any
desire
to
do
this
(automotive)
of the program, went right to work in the
programs, is adequate funding. It already costs
afterwards,” Gastoni said. “I put a lot of effort
prison’s auto shop after finishing his
Oregon $34,510 to house an inmate for a year,
into
these
guys,
and
then
they
fail
or
don’t
curriculum. Some Salem residents pay the
before adding in the cost of college education
care.”
prison to have inmates repair their vehicles.
programs inside.
Despite
the
program’s
low
recidivism
rate,
Thanks to the program, Taylor now feels
Prior to 1994, many prisoners nationwide
Taylor said that people don’t jump at the
more hopeful about his future and the skills
were eligible to receive Pell Grants to enroll in
opportunity like one might expect
that he has gained.
discounted college education programs while
“A lot of people do not want to put in the
“It’s a great learning experience if you take
incarcerated. That changed when President
work, and they do not want to let go of the
advantage of it and utilize the tools we have
Bill Clinton introduced the Violent Crime
constraint
put
on
you
out
there
and
the
available here,” he said. “You can get out of
Control and Law Enforcement Act, which
this program fully ready to go out into the real mentality you have to have in order to be out
included a provision that barred anyone from
there,”
Taylor
said.
world and work on anything. I feel confident in
receiving educational grants while in a penal
“It’s prison mentality,” Gastoni said. “You
my abilities at this time considering where we
institution.
have
to
want
to
change
yourself,
and
a
lot
of
started.”
. The Obama administration has taken steps
these guys just like being the way they are.
When we spoke with Taylor, he was only a
in the past few months to reinstate Pell
That’s why they’re here.”
month away from his release date and said he
Grants as an option for inmates. The Second
The kind of skills they learn in educational
planned on using the skills he learned in the
Chance Pell Pilot Program, which began in
programs such as Gastoni’s are crucial to the
automotive class to pursue an engineering
July, brings together colleges and prisons
success
of
these
individuals
once
they’re
degree.
across the country to provide degree and
released. There are the communication skills
“Even if we can touch one out of 20
certificate programs.
that
help
them
work
with
others
and
the
students, that’s still a positive thing,” Gastoni
According to the official notice from the
problem-solving skills that allow them to face
said. “I do my best. I try to keep contact with
U.S. Department of Education, the pilot
problems
head
on.
But
more
than
anything,
them on the outside, and if they have trouble,
program requires that participating
Gastoni said, is the process of learning that
they can give us a call.”
institutions “only enroll students in
there
are
options
besides
criminal
activity.
Gerry Lee is partway through the program
“Once I get that through to them, then they postsecondary education and training
and credits it for helping turn his life around.
programs that prepare them for high-demand
get on the outside and go, ‘You know what? I
He is scheduled to be released in 2019 and
occupations.” They must also be legally able to
can
be
a
better
person.
I
don’t
need
to
go
and
hopes to stay in the automotive shop until
enter into said occupations or obtain any
steal
o
r
do
crime.
I
can
actually
have
a
job,
then.
licenses or certifications despite their status
have an income and make a good living doing
Page 9
STAFF WRITER
C
The laundry
P H O T O B Y JOE G L O D E
A n inm ate a t Oregon State Penitentiary works on an car during automotive class.
a s a n ex-convict.
The U.S. Department of Education
estimates in the 2016-17 school year
approximately 186 inmates at three Oregon
correctional facilities will be eligible for these
Pell Grants through Chemeketa Community
College. Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon
State Correctional Institution and Santiam
Correctional Institution are the only prisons in
Oregon that offer the program.
In order to qualify for a Pell Grant, inmates
must have one full year without any reported
violent behavior or prison rule violation. At
Chemeketa, the focus is on those who are
within five years of being released.
Some opponents of the program say it
takes away from deserving students that aren’t
incarcerated. Pell’s 2016 budget is more than
$32 billion, and the Department of Education
estimates that the funds needed for inmate
Pell grants make up less than 0.1 percent of
the entire budget
On the issue of money, Jonathan Tucker,
Oregon Department of Corrections’ Salem-
area education manager, refers back to the
RAND study, which concluded that for every
dollar spent on corrections education,
taxpayers save $4 to $5.
Tucker currently manages the education
programs offered through Chemeketa
Community College at Oregon State
Penitentiary, Oregon State Correctional
Institute and Santiam Correctional Institute.
One of the biggest struggles has been
finding adequate resources, Tucker said. While
Chemeketa’s College Inside program is
offered at three correctional facilities across
Salem, all program organizing is done by a
single person.
“Pell is so great and it’s important
symbolically, but really, until we put some
money towards the actual department funding
so we can have some part-time staff to come
How do we measure recidivism?
In corrections, the best measure of
success is generally agreed upon to be the
recidivism rate, or the rate at which people
reoffend after their release.
In Oregon, the Department of Corrections
uses the percentage of inmates who are
convicted of a new felony within three
years of their release to count recidivism.
Among the most recent group of parolees
to reach the three-year mark, 24.6 percent
were convicted of a new felony within three
years of their release from state prison.
In national comparisons, this makes
Oregon appear to have one of toe best
rates in the nation, but comparing
recidivism rates can be misleading.
For one, some states count recidivism as
toe percentage of parolees who are
arrested or sent back to jail or prison for
any reason. In the only state-to-state study
of recidivism rates done to date, The Pew
Center compared toe rate at which
parolees were returned to prison. Oregon
came out ahead, but only because in
Oregon, parole violations get you a bed in
in and help, it actually makes it tougher,”
Tucker said.
If this pilot program runs successfully,
Tucker hopes other institutions, both
correctional and educational, will see the
success of College Inside.
“We want to make sure by the end of this
pilot that we’re able to say we took in 71 Pell-
eligible students, 71 graduated with degrees,
and 69 of those 71 have not yet returned to
jail, not prison like many other states. So
technical violations were not counted,
explained Kelly Officer, a senior research
analyst at the Criminal Justice
Commission.
According to toe CJC, toe state agency
responsible for tracking crime statistics,
29,6 percent of inmates released from
Oregon state prisons between January
2011 and July 2013 were convicted of a
new misdemeanor or felony within the first
three years of toeir release - and 42.3
percent were arrested.
If that many offenders are finding
themselves in handcuffs within three years
.of their release from state prison, Oregon
may want to ask itself if it could be doing
things better.,And, as toe Marshall Project
pointed out in a report titled “The
Misleading Mato of ‘Reckfivism,’” those
numbers only account for people who
committed crimes within three years of
their release - and got caught.
-Em ily Green
prison,” Tucker said.
Tucker and Gastoni are starting the new
year with cautious optimism. With President
elect Donald Trump soon to be sworn into
office, the future of the Pell Pilot Program is
unclear.
“We’re silently nervous and hopeful at the
same time,” Tucker said.
Corinne@streetroots.org
When we entered the laundry, the first
thing we noticed was its size; it’s gigantic.
Hundreds of inmates appeared to be hard at
work in the labyrinth of commercial washing
machinery and folding stations. Area
hospitals send all their linens to OSP for
cleaning.
The laundry floor manager, Damon
Plattner, explained that most laundries this
size outside of the prison system are fully
automated, but he would never be able to
assign the nearly 300 inmates he has
working for him if the facility were
modernized. He said entry-level laundry
workers earn about $70 to $80 a month.
As we strolled from one end of the
laundry to the other, Plattner explained the
different jobs inmates were performing.
Some of the jobs seemed tedious, but he
said they have the ability to switch things up
or work for another Oregon Corrections
Enterprises operation, such as the furniture
factory or welding shop.
“For many of them,” Plattner said, “it’s
having a job for the first time and
understanding that there is a requirement of
(them) to do that job and keep that job.”
For motivated individuals, the laundry
offers management positions and a
maintenance program, where inmates learn
to fix machinery, which Plattner said is a
valued skill in any manufacturing plant
Plattner said he’s also reinstating an
electrical apprentice program where
graduates can earn journeyman licenses, but
the six- to eight-year program will take only
two inmates at a time.
We sat down in the back office with Daniel
Kirkland, 48. He’s serving a life sentence
with the possibility of parole, and he said
he’s found a meaningful career in the
laundry as a lead technician.
“There’s a gambit of opportunities offered
here,” he said, citing religious activities,
drug and alcohol programs, clubs such as
the Toastmasters and educational courses
offered at OSP. He’s working on an associate
degree through Chemeketa Community
College, as well.
“It comes to the individual. They have to
seize the moment,” Kirkland said. “To be
honest, I think everything is here and in
place. We have to take the initiative and do
it”
Kirkland previously spent 13 years at Two
Rivers Correctional Institution, where, he
said, there are fewer opportunities for
inmates.
“I am very grateful, and I carry myself
that way, but if I chose to live in that old
mindset, I probably would be out in the yard,
lifting weights, reading a book, watching TV,
and letting life pass me by instead of being a
part of i t ”
As we spoke with inmates, it became clear
that in Oregon’s prison system, there are
opportunities for inmates who want to better
themselves. We also heard repeatedly, from
inmates and staff, that many inmates have a
“prison mentality” and are not motivated to
do anything beyond the bare minimum.
Additionally, some prisons have fewer
programs than others, making the coveted
jobs with Oregon Corrections Enterprises
more difficult for inmates-to acquire at some
institutions.
Compliance challenges
A study of Washington State Correctional
Industries, which is set up similarly to
Oregon Corrections Enterprises, found that
for every dollar spent on its programs, $4.77
is saved in future criminal justice costs. OCE
commissioned a similar report with an
expected release at the end of the year.
These programs are already limited in
size, making it surprising that two of the
most beneficial programs at OSP, the
contact center and the automotive training
program, were not at capacity.
While Oregon Corrections Enterprises is
now engaging with a record number of
inmates, that number is only 1,400 out of
Oregon’s 12,470 work-eligible prison
inmates.
And that law requiring that able-bodied
inmates all work full time? Oregon
Department of Corrections has never been
in full compliance with that requirement.
Between January and November 2016, 67
percent to 71 percent of Oregon’s work-
eligible inmates were in compliance with the
law during any given month. One institution
was as low as 29 percent in compliance.
Most of Oregon’s 8,800 working inmates
are assigned directly to Department of
Corrections jobs rather than Oregon
Corrections Enterprises.
Roberta Angelozzi, who oversees the
DOC-run inmate work programs, said: “The
number of jobs that we can provide is the
biggest issue. You take a small institution
that doesn’t need 20 people in the kitchen
or 50 people to run the maintenance
program, and you have 400 inmates, it’s hard
to come up with meaningful jobs to put
people in.”
Inmate Jamie Pierce, 40, said he worked
various jobs, “anything from line server to
scullery, which is washing dishes, to floor
crew,” during the three times he’s been
incarcerated.
When asked if he gained any skills from
these DOC jobs, he said, “Absolutely not.”
But then he added that he liked working on
a DOC work crew in the forest
The DOC contracts with the state
Department of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service
and Oregon Department of Transportation,
sending inmates to work alongside
firefighters, rebuild trails, clean roadsides
and perform other cleanup and landscaping-
type duties. In rare cases, it will contract
with private landowners in remote areas.
Now he’s been working for Oregon
Corrections Enterprises in its laundry for six
years.
“OCE saw something in me that I didn’t
know I had. And so they kind of scooped me
up, trained me how to do a job back there,”
Pierce said.
“There needs to be more skills given to
See INM ATE JOBS, page 10
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