Alerts Oregon

The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to use 50,000 volts of electricity as a weapon against people in prison.

We're making progress on the federal Second Chance Act, which moved onto the House floor shortly before Congress' summer recess. The Second Chance Act will inject millions of dollars into re-entry and mentoring programs across the country, potentially helping some of the the three thousand people in Oregon who will leave prison in the next year.

Nearly 650,000 people a year are being released from state and federal prisons. And across the country, too many of these people are winding up back in prison. Why? They often lack housing, job prospects, and education --- all key factors that we know affect recidivism. But the Federal Second Chance Act could change that by providing needed transition services.

Across the country, over 2.2 million people are in prisons and jails. But here's a less talked-about figure: nearly 650,000 people a year are being released from state and federal prisons. Without adequate support, many of them wind up back in prison. If we can pass the Federal Second Chance Act this summer, we can help turn that around.

The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) makes the rules about how prisoners can raise concerns about the conditions of their confinement. The grievance process sets up a specific set of rules about how people can raise issues, and how grievances are (or are not) addressed. DOC has proposed changes to the rules (the Oregon Administrative Rules, or OAR) for prisoners filing grievances, and although some of the changes are reasonable, some of these changes could jeopardize the health and physical safety of prisoners.