Tag: Oregon Way

New Activities Gym at Snake River Aims at Improving AIC Health and Wellness

Adults in custody and staff enjoying the activities gym

Last fall, Lacey Mackenzie-Yraguen was given the opportunity to travel to Norway as a member of the Resource Team at Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI). While touring the Norwegian prisons, she learned more about their philosophy around incarceration and their approach to humanization. Lacey is a mental health professional and found herself able to easily align to their beliefs, strategies, and approaches to adults in custody (AICs). Working with Amend in their Prison Culture Change Initiative, she found great value in their vision of creating and implementing public health-oriented correctional practices among the staff and AICs. 

Continue reading “New Activities Gym at Snake River Aims at Improving AIC Health and Wellness” →

Two Rivers Celebrates Father’s Day with a Fishing Trip

On the Friday of Father’s Day weekend, a group of adults in custody (AICs) and fathers housed at Two Rivers Correctional Institution (TRCI) celebrated the holiday in typical dad fashion: on a fishing trip with their kids. The trip was part of the department’s efforts to humanize and normalize the prison environment, a strategy known as the “Oregon Way.”

Continue reading “Two Rivers Celebrates Father’s Day with a Fishing Trip” →

Changing the Prison Environment at OSP

This article was written by Tonya Gushard, a Public Information Officer and employee at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Behind these walls we are one community. OUR community. The community we call the Oregon State Penitentiary.

Our community consists of over 350 employees, over 2,000 adults in our care and custody (AICs), and hundreds of volunteers and contractors. The Oregon Department of Corrections’ mission is to hold offenders accountable for their actions and reduce the risk of future criminal behavior, but it is our passion to create a safe and healthy environment, with the responsibility of creating better neighbors where positive and pro-social change occurs. A place where people will become healthy, productive, and contributing members of society.

Continue reading “Changing the Prison Environment at OSP” →