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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1978)
I mbmmbbmbbbbbbbmbbmmmaaaahhbhmhhm Portland Observer Thursday, October 5, 1978 Page 5 Behind the wall Larry Baker k3502/ O.S.P. Correspondent There are those who believe the events in the following story should have occurred a long time ago. I here are those who believe it is yet too early for this story to be w rit ten for publication. And then again, there are those who believe this story should have never been written at all. The Nadra Bagley Story * * Everybody has a dream in life, even Nadra Bagley. "1 want to help a group o f people someday in my life , people that society continues to hide behind stone walls and iron bars.” F u lfillin g goals and dreams is many times not an easy task, but neither did Nadra Bagley expect it to be. Nadra Bagley wants to be a coun selor — a counselor at O.S.P. or a work release center. “ A good counselor should receive as much down-to-earth experience as humanly possible, along w ith as much education and training as can be provided, before tinkering with another human beings life,” stated Nadra. “ 1 want to know what a client ol mine has gone through, and where he is coming from, in order to communicate.” On September 1, 1978 Nadra Bagley became the firs t woman correctional o ffice r in the state’ s penal history to accept a position to work inside the walls o f O.S.P. Born and raised in H ills b o ro , Oregon, Nadra graduated from high school and found employment as an assembly worker at G .A.F. In 1972 she enrolled in Portland Community College, m ajoring in law enforce ment. “ Working while going to school wasn’t easy, but I knew the field o f work I wanted to pursue, and as a woman it wouldn’t be easy either,” said Nadra. A fte r graduating from PCC in 1974, Nadra started at PSU, m a joring in A d m in is tra tio n o f Justice. “ Nadra has a gift seldom found in many o f the students who are in an A d m in is tra tio n o f Justice program,” said Dr. Gary Perlstein, associate director. “ A sincere desire to perform her duties to the best of her a b ility and a great love fo r people.” W hile attending PSU, Nadra worked as a volunteer practicum student at Northeast Portland M ult nomah C ounty Parole and Probation. After a period o f time she found employment w ith V illa St. Rosa, working with youths. In 1976 Nadra was employed as a correc tional officer at the Women’ s Work Release Center in Portland. “ Nadra had a great interest in the program and worked many hours on her own time by showing a per sonal interest in the residents’ needs NADRA BAGLEY were met,” stated Elizabeth Sanders, director. “ In fact the residents even put together a fund to buy Nadra a g ift before she le ft, som ething seldom done for any correctional of ficer. I hated to lose her.” In the summer o f 1977, Nadra Bagley made an unusual decision. She applied fo r employment as a co rrectional o ffic e r (guard) at O.S.P. — a male institution. “ The reason I made this decision was I knew that in order to become a dedicated and responsible counselor in the field o f Corrections, I would need to deal with male clients as well as women,’ ’ said Nadra. Nadra’s application was accepted and she became the fourth woman to be employed as a correctional officer at the prison that year. Nadra com pleted her training and was placed in a guard tower fo r the next twelve months. Almost immediately, Nadra and the female officers were met with a great deal o f resistance, not only from the inmates, but also from the male guards. But N adra’ s super visors were aware o f her main goals and gave sound advice whenever she needed it. “ Nadra Bagley is a good officer,” stated Lt. Robert Kennicott, “ and as long as she can handle the job, she can have the jo b .” Nadra even became a member o f the O.S.P. guard union, which is a branch o f the America’s Federation o f State, County and Municiple Em ployees U n io n , and gained the respect o f the president, Howard Leroy Willmschen. But like any professional jo b , there is always advancement. On September 1, 1978 Nadra and another woman o ffic e r, B rillante Murphy, were placed inside the walls ROSE VILLA CLEANERS SERVICE b QUALITY MAKE OUR REPUTATION Julius D . Snowden k380!3 Poetry Editor WE DO ALTERATIONS ^ i\ to perform duties just as any male officer would perform. Nadra was placed supervising the ‘ Mess Hall* and the ‘ Big Yard!” But such duties im m ediately developed many problems, because part o f hei duties would require search ing the male prisoners fo r weapons and contraband. Many o f the in mates com plained about being ‘shook down’ by a woman, and they found the possibilities o f women eventually being placed in the shower room. This would be part o f the normal duties and procedures o f any officer, “ I would not desire supervising the inmates show ering,” stated Nadra, “ but if I were told to do so I would because it would be part o f my jo b .” On September 26, 1978 a group of inmates filed a temporary injunction in M a fio n C ounty C irc u it C o u rt stating that their constitutional rights were being violated by being frisked by the women. The inmates also gained the support o f U.S. Senator M ark H atfield. Judge Richard D. DRAPERY CLEANING SPECIALISTS J V \ f AST - QUALITY DRY CLEANING A Er LAUNDRY SERVICE. /> j£ Barber granted the injunction until a full hearing could be scheduled in the future. Nadra Bagley travels over 100 miles per day to and from her job, but she is a very active person in her community. 8525 N.E. F R E M O N T /^ 1 Mon-Frl 9:30 6 » - Set. 9-1 “ Nadra is constantly volunteering and offering a hand to help anyone who needs help,” stated Gladys Mc Coy, formerly the Governor’s Om budsman. “ The Oregon State Penitentiary can use another woman counselor as dynam ic as Sandy Moore (O.S.P.’ s first woman coun selor).” Experience and caring about people plays a most essential role in a good professional counselor in any prison. Is the price that Nadra Bagley paying too high? Has the last chapter o f the Nadra Bagley story been written? 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