J
P « 0*4 Portland Observer Thuredey, August 31, 1978
. . . UNION OR COMPANY
Behind, the wall
Larry Baker ItJSOJI
O.S.P. Correspondent
The Prisoner’s Legal Services of
Oregon recently adm itted, in re
sponse to a letter written on August
13, 1978 by an inmate at O.S.P., that
the agency was being funded by the
Division of Corrections.
Ma.iy o f the prisoners within these
walls were astonished when they
heard 'through the grapevine’ that
this change o f funding had been
done. They now question whether
they w ill have the opportunity to
have their cases handled w ithin a
professional manner Some prisoners
even regard such a move as placing
the PLS attorneys in a position to
'sell out’ to Corrections i f their cases
become hot issues.
You don’ t bite the hand that feeds
you.
The Prisoner’ s Legal Services was
established through a grant from the
Federal Law Enforcement Assistance
A d m in is tra tio n and has been in
existence since November 1976.
The purpose for LE A A submitting
the grant was to assure those in
dividuals incarcerated w ith in in
stitutions and prisons greater access
to the court and full protection o f
their civil rights — even if their com
plaints were to be filed against the
Division o f Corrections PLS claims
it has handled nearly 2,000 requests
for representation and claims over
forty percent o f those requests have
surrounded in the area o f laws
dealing with child support, govern
ment benefits, inheritance, domestic
relations, property and personal in
jury.
T h irty percent o f the requests
came from prisoners protesting in
stitutional treatment in the area o f
commissary, inm ate p roperty,
medical care, discipline, sanctions,
religious expression, v is ita tio n .
custody, general living conditions and
employment misconduct. Over ten
percent were requests fo r legal
assistance involving parole and sen
tencing questions, and the remaining
requests have been, for the most
part, criminal matters.
Gene B. Mechanic, director o f the
Prisoner's Legal Services, states that
during the first year his office had
two lawyers in addition to himself
and they over-extended themselves to
the p o in t where they were not
providing effective representation.
Now with the addition this year of
another attorney they still are not
able to handle the Oregon prisoner
requests on legal matters.
Mechanic’ s letter states that, in
order for the Prisoner’s Legal Ser
vice to obtain the first year grant
from LEAA, they had to obtain ten
percent matching from a local agency,
and for the second year twenty-five
percent. This was provided by the
American Bar Association. This year
calls fo r thirty-three percent. The
A .B.A. w ill no longer contribute this
portion and the only alternative for
PLS appeared to be a state ap
propriation o f funds. However the
legislature will not be in session until
next January and appropriated funds
w ill not be used until July 1, 1979. By
that time fifty percent o f the local
funds w ill be needed, and after the
fourth year LE A A funding w ill be
terminated. Mechanic’ s letter further
states that the legislative emergency
board was most unreceptive to
requests for funding, especially when
it applies toward prisoner services.
Before going any further with the
excuses the Prisoner’s Legal Service
has given to the inmates at O.S.P. on
why funding is supplied to them
through the Division o f Corrections,
“ Behind the W all’ ’ , questions why
DENTAL INSURANCE
is a valuable asset . . .
Julius D. Snowden H38OI3
Poetry Editor
was this move done so secretly. Why
were the inmates not part o f such a
decision-making process? They are
not completely damn fools. Other
agencies have used them in an ex-
ploratational manner to obtain the
federal ’ give-away pot* bank ro ll
located in Washington, D.C. that the
nations taxpaying public restocks
each year round about the 13th o f
A pril.
It seems like every time an agency
proposes to do something humane to
meet the needs o f the elderly, the sick,
or the indigent individual, regardless
o f whether they are welfare clients or
prisoners, those in d ivid u a ls are
always excluded entirely during the
decision-making process. This is one
o f the main reasons many good
programs were washed down the
drain during the poverty era — all in
the name of justice. And the only
real salvation was allotted to the
‘ Poverty Pimps.’
“ Behind the Wall* challenges the
Prisoner’s Legal Service to publically
produce positive p ro o f to the
prisoners and to the Oregon tax-
paying public that there is not the
slightest ’ c o n flic t o f in te re st’
established by their decision to be
funded through the D ivision o f
Corrections. Because you don’ t bite
the hand that feeds you. Since many
o f their alleged com plaints deal
d ire ctly w ith the C o rre ctio n a l
D ivisions and prison decision
making policies, the inmates have
every rig h t to become disturbed
when u n ro llin g such enlightm ent
from the grapevine. It affects their
legal civil rights actions.
“ Behind the W all” w ill greatly
d iffe r w ith Mechanic’ s statement
that legislators s ittin g on the
emergency board are most unrecep
tive when it comes to providing
something as essential as the protec
tion o f an individual’ s civil rights
ar.d his access to the courts I f this
was the case why hasn’t the PLS filed
suit on them for depriving prisoners
o f such. T hrougho ut the last
eighteen months legislators have
flooded the Oregon State Peniten
tia ry and have become very in
terested in the individual prisoners'
struggles.
Last year “ Behind the W a ll’ ’
published an article on PLS’s action
on the treatment o f prisoners in the
segregation and isolation unit (the
hole). Well whatever legal action was
prom oted by PLS, services must
have never been rendered, because
those prisoners are still hollering for
legal assistance. Or was that a move
to just stir up a hornet’s nest in order
to ju s tify paperwork fo r the o f
fices next budget request.
It has been proposed by “ Behind
the W all” that the inmates studying
to become para-legals through the
volunteer instructors from the State
P ublic D efender’ s O ffice and
Willamette University students, in
vestigate the possibility o f a proposal
being written to L E A A for funds
that can be banked at a parent agency
so that the inmates themselves can
contract for their own attornies to
handle any grievances or civil mat
ters that arise affecting their incar
ceration, instead o f having to be,
at the mercy o f an agency that
would be placed in a position to an
swer to the very people they are to
battle with in a courtroom each day.
You don’ t bite the hand that feeds
you.
In conclusion, “ Behind the W all”
could be overlooking PLS’s good in
tentions toward the prisoners. . . but
we doubt it.
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and
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B a la n c in g A v a i l a b le
Educational Opportunities Program provides varied services
CALL US FOR YOUR SPECIAL PRICE
In 1977, Portland State University
created the Educational Opportunity
Program . The new program ,
operating under a new philosophy,
took the place o f Operation PLUS.
The supportive program known as
E.O.P. is now in fu ll swing, and
Remel Valentine, the assistant direc
tor, expresses excitement about the
program’s ability to help students.
“ We offer a wide range o f ser
vices,” she says, “ and we are
genuinely interested in students. I f a
student has the desire and capability,
we can help him or her realize goals
in higher education. Plus, we are
about the nicest people in the univer
sity — at least we make the effort to
be.”
Operating under a federal grant,
as well as general funds from the
PSU budget, the Educational Oppor
tunity Program provides comprehen
sive services. Counseling, tutoring,
teaching — a student must be eligible
to participate in all o f these functions
in order to belong to the program.
That may seem stringent, but it ’ s
not. Most university students need
special assistance in order to
maximize the chance to learn, accord
ing to Ms. Valentine.
Nevertheless, she emphasizes the
student’ s role and m o tiv a tio n :
“ While we o ffe r exceptional ser
vices, which inspire and assist
students in many ways, the program
is still only valuable if students take
full advantage o f the services, using
them to enhance the direction they
would like to take in education.”
The E.O.P. organizes counseling
activities. Such activities include
academic advising, personal coun
seling, financial aid assistance,
career planning, as well as group
discussions and an extensive orien
tation process. O f the counseling Ms.
Valentine tells us. “ Our counselors
understand and empathize with the
situation a person faces. Most o f our
staff have been through what our
students are now facing. They under
stand. When they listen, it is not par-
ternalistic. It is, instead, from a
position o f readiness to help. Our
counselors do not act like doctors —
as thought something is wrong with a
student, as though the student needs
to be fixed. The system needs to be
fixed, and our function is to help
students learn how to negotiate the
system to produce the results they
need.”
The E ducational O p p o rtu n ity
Program also executes a smoothly
organized tu to ria l program, “ the
tu to ria l
process
personalizes
education,” Ms. Valentine points
out. “ There is one - to - one
discussion," she says, “ and it is
always less threatening than seeking
extended time w ith professors.”
Students in EOP can get tutors for
any course in the university, and in
EOP courses too. Ms. Valentine un
derscores the value o f tutorial work:
“ Again, there is empathy: A student
works with another student, there is
understanding. A very personal and
lasting relationship is created.”
The EOP provides skill develop
ment courses. Focusing on such
areas as reading, writing, listening
and speaking abilities, the EOP staff
attem pts to teach students vital
communicative skills as soon as they
enter the university. “ We have ex
cellent teachers,” indicates Ms.
Valentine. “ They have each taught
SHOP
IENOWS
B R A N D S you kn o w
V A R IC T IK S y o u IM te
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TK< f r —n a i t i i
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S«nc« IVOR
•
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M i l S .l M l l w a w f c l *
J J 0 . « l a x * a r a > .4 a
H I M « H I O lia s a
H U m b . n l a t O r a a la y
« a la ijn M ill, » la ia
I O la a a t M
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l« > h * > . l * . . n « x
* H . l M an<a<b
j a , h * » .|. O t.lU a n
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required university courses, so they
are aware of the expectations and
demands o f scholarship in higher
education. Our classes are small;
credits are fully recognized. They are
interesting, fun, and thought
provoking — but they are demand
ing also.”
With a coordinated set o f services
— counseling, tutoring, and skill in
struction — the Educational Oppor
tunity Program is prepared to give
students that extra boost toward
achievement in college.
The assistant d irector, Remel
Valentine, comes on strong with an
appeal to each person who might in
any way be th in kin g about em
barking on a college career. “ I f you
are serious about going to college, if
you are ready to put forth the time
and e ffo rt necessary, i f you are
willing to work with people who are
interested in working with you, then
the
Educational
O p p o rtu n ity
Program w ill not let you down.”
Near the end of our interview with
Ms. Valentine, she added what is to
her one o f the most significant ad
vantages o f the EOP. It is the “ sense
o f co m m u n ity” which develops
among students. “ The strength o f
this sense o f involvem ent helps
students overcome personal ob
stacles and difficulties, “ says the
long-tim e
college
counselor.
"Feeling the strength of the group,
each student feels stronger. They
seem not alone; they develop friend
ships, and these friendships enhance
learning. The feeling that “ we are
hanging in here together” gives each
student the power to move fo r
ward.”
The Educational O p p o rtu n ity
Program may be just what you need
to begin now to shape an education
that meets your needs for the future.
It is a program concerned w ith
The House o f Exodus will host its
first meeting of it* "Com m unity Ad
visory Council for Exodus.” The
Council w ill consist o f 27 persons
nominated and elected to represent
inform ation regarding community
needs and concerns related to alcohol
education and treatment.
The meeting will be held at 11:00
a m. Saturday, September 9, 1978 at
1318 N.E. Killingsworth.
creating an atmosphere in which
students can maximize the chance for
achievement at P ortland State
University.
284-1707
CENTURY TIRE DIST.
Monday-Friday
Saturday *4
EXODUS
a-ru/ SÿteaJm on/ teeet&e.
1518 N E KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 97211
284 7997
FACTS OF IMPORTANCE
V O LU M E IV
SEPTEMBER 1978
SERIES I
During the entire month of September you may
register for evening, Saturday and Sunday
classes.
This is EXODUS' first series of community ser
vice classes.
TOPICS ARE:
1. Is Alcoholism the PROBLEM or the RESULT?
— 2 hours
2. What is the difference between the alcoholic
personality and others? — 2 hours
3. How to relate to spouse and children under
conditions of alcoholism. — 2 hours
REGISTER AT:
EXODUS
1518 N.E. Killingsworth
Portland, Oregon 97211
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