Street Roots • Dec 15-21,2017
News
Page 5
NORCOR, from page 4
facility before, and so on my first visit, just
talking to the kids, I was really shocked first
by how young they seemed. You know, some
of these kids are 12, 13, 14 years old. I’m a
parent, so I’ve spent a lot of time around
kids. I’ve never seen kids in a setting or
environment like this. So yeah, it was
personally heart-wrenching. And the kids
also seemed timid and just like they were
walking on eggshells. I was interviewing
them in a small room, and usually the kid
was sitting closest to the door, and at the
end of the interview, all of the kids, they
were afraid to touch the doorknob. They
were like, “We’re not allowed to touch
doors.” I had to kind of like squeeze past
the youth in order to touch the doorknob,
and it was just very awkward. And it was
just one illustration of how fearful they were
of making a wrong move.
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T.S.: Take the reader on a sensory tour with
your words o f what you sensed inside this
facility.
ST R E E T R O O T S P H O T O
S.R.: When you enter any jail, you go
Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facilities, or NORCOR, is a multi-county ja il in The Dalles. It includes a juvenile detention facility,
through a sally port, which is two secured
which was the subject o f an investigation by Disability Rights Oregon, which reported “inhum ane” conditions for youths.
doors with a vestibule in between. And
there’s that distinctive clank of the heavy
secured door. The doors are operated from a kids have a mental health diagnosis who are
kids more likely to get de eper involved in
was filled in but no reason was cited, or the
control booth, so you don’t touch the doors,
reasons themselves, like looking around,
in the criminal justice system. But I think
the criminal justice system.
but it clanks behind you. I’ve heard other
talking, hands above waist, these are things
it’s safe to say that probably all youth who
T.S.: The report’s recommendations show
people talk about how intimidating that
that I think staff could turn a blind eye to,
are involved in the criminal justice system
that improvement may be needed in a range of
sound is, how distinctive. It’s a sound that
or could enforce.
have a history of trauma, and trauma often
institutions and agencies to fix what’s going
you don’t hear anywhere other than jails and
goes hand in hand with mental health
T.S.: The report shows a facility that is
on at NORCOR. What recommendation
prisons. After entering, there’s an area for
concerns. We certainly interviewed kids who keeping its juveniles behind bars for nearly
contained in this report would you emphasize
visitation, and the kids, unless a special
struggled with impulses to harm themselves
twice as long as nearby M ultnom ah County
as most important, and why?
- head banging, cutting,
exception is made, the visits
facilities. NORCOR has also struggled
scratching, scratching their
are behind glass, so the kids
S. R.: Juvenile detention facilities should
financially as an institution. Do you think
skin.
That
was
a
struggle
would sit on one side and
be licensed and regulated. I think that’s kind
NORCOR is paying bills by intentionally
that
kids
told
us
about.
the families would sit on the
keeping youths incarcerated for longer time
of an overarching recommendation, and if
other side of the glass. And
periods?
there was a state entity that was charged
T.S.: The NORCOR
Disability Rights Oregon is
then in the center of the
scorecard your report talks
with ensuring safe conditions, adequate
S. R.: What I can say is that it’s my
organizing a book drive
facility, there’s the control
about, with items like “hands
health care and programming, adherence to
understanding that NORCOR has struggled
tor youths incarcerated at
booth, with tinted windows,
above waist, ” or “talking in
trauma-informed and evidence-based
to remain financially viable in recent years,
NORCOR.
Disability
so you can’t see into that
line,” or “doing the
practices and preventing the youth solitary
and so I think they’re pursuing contracts
Rights Oregon attorney
control booth, but the staff
m in im um ,” it seems like that’s
confinement, I think that would be a great
both on the adult side and the juvenile side
inside can see you, and
Sarah Radcliffe says
part o f a vicious cycle. Is that
with whatever entity they can contract with
solution to the problems at NORCOR and to
that’s where all the doors
readers can drop off soft-
right?
in order to fill beds. I think the factors
the potential problems at other places.
are operated. And then
cover books at the
driving the length of stay is a complicated
S.R.: The way their
there are three wings that
T. S.: Where NORCOR is concerned, is it
Disability Rights Oregon
question. I think the county juvenile
system
works
is
a
kid
has
to
are the housing units, so
more about revising the playbook or throwing
office at 610 SW
departments really need to try to dig down
earn
his
or
her
way
off
of
that’ll be a hallway lined
Broadway, Suite 200, in
disciplinary status by passing into that data and understand what’s causing the playbook out and starting over?
with individual cells, and
Portland or call 503-243-
delays. I think a lot of the delays are
shifts, that scorecard is used
S. R.: The rules that really jump out to an
each cell has a window in
preadjudication delays, so it’s just a matter
to
determine
whether
or
not
2081.
outside observer as out of line and not really
the door, and then there’s a
of
getting
kids’
cases
through
the
system.
the kid passed the shift. The
related to any disciplinary goal, it’s easy to
day room area at the end of
conditions of consignment
T. S.: One o f the pillars o f American society
scratch those rules out, but to create a real
the hall that has just a table
for
kids
who
are
on
disciplinary
status
were
is
the
idea
of
responsibility.
When
an
adult
is
that’s secured to the floor. And inside the
cultural shift at NORCOR and make it a
very
hard
to
endure.
And
so
it
was
very
hard
incarcerated, the assumption most of the time
cells, when we visited, depending on the
place where kids feel safe and supported
to
pass
shifts,
because
you
could
fail
for
is that it’s his or her responsibility. Can you
time of day, there might be some kids in the
and they are learning tools to go out and
things like falling asleep or for mental-
talk about how this concept applies, or doesn’t,
classroom or in their cells, or sometimes
become healthy, happy members of their
health-related behavior, like you’re closed in
they might be all in their cells. The cells are
to those under 18?
communities, that would require a major
yourself for hours on end and you’re feeling
very sparse, so if a kid is in the Youth Care
S.R.: Studies show that most youth
overhaul.
really anxious and upset and you start to
Center program, they got a warmer blanket
outgrow
“delinquent
behavior,”
so
we
just
yell.
T. S.: What have I not asked about that you
and a bath mat on the floor, and they were
know in terms of adolescent brain
There’s
a
lot
of
research
that
shows
that
would want to let Street Roots readers know?
allowed to have pictures of three family
development, adolescence is a period when
conditions
of
solitary
confinement
members on the wall. But for kids who
kids are still figuring out the consequences
S. R.: Noelle Crombie from The
exacerbate mental health issues for people
weren’t in that program, they just had your
of
their
actions
and
they’re
more
likely
to
Oregonian went out to NORCOR on Monday
that have pre-existing conditions and can
mattress on a concrete slab, a thin blanket,
take
risks.
As
a
society,
we
really
need
to
cause a mental health issue for someone
(Dec. 4), and there were only six kids in
one book and the Bible. If they were on
invest
in
these
kids’
long-term
success.
And
custody, so that’s a big question that I have,
disciplinary status, they just had the Bible. It who hasn’t had any history. So yeah, I would
when we lock them up behind closed doors,
say
that
was
a
vicious
cycle.
It
was
very
hard
is how did they clear out the facility, and
was clean; it struck me as a clean and freshly
especially
in
a
facility
like
NORCOR,
where
to comply with the conditions that
what happened with that?
painted facility.
they’re not getting rehabilitative services,
presumably would get you off of disciplinary
T. S.: How many were there when you were
T.S.: The report notes that 70 percent o f the
status. The system is also arbitrary in that it they’re not getting, frankly, the love that all
children are entitled to, we’re basically
youths in NORCOR meet criteria for a mental
doing your investigation?
was based on just an individual staff
writing off their futures. Because the
health diagnosis. Can you expand on that?
person’s report. We saw lots of records
S.R.: At each of our visits, there were
evidence is out there, and we know that
where
the
pass
box
was
scribbled
out,
and
S.R.: That’s a general stat, for state and
more than 20.
those types of interventions actually make
national figures - estimates about how many then the fail box was filled in, or the fail box
BOOKS FOR
NORCOR YOUTHS