Oregon State Jails
Oregon is situated in the Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers, and settlers. Salem is the state's capital but Portland is the most populous with a population of 582,130 (2009 estimate) and a metro population of 2,241,841 (2009 estimate).
The valley of the Willamette River in western Oregon is the state's most densely populated area and is home to eight of the ten most populous cities. Oregon's 2000 population was about 3.5 million, a 20.3% increase over 1990; it is estimated to have reached 3.8 million by 2008.
Throughout Oregon's 36 counties there are 33 jail facilities with a combined rated capacity of 7,083 inmates. The Department of Corrections enforces the state inspection and standards program. (2007)
Total Population:
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The Department Of Corrections Division of Community Corrections, through 34 county agencies, supervises 41,888 probationers and 22,195 parolees. The crime rate in Oregon is about 4% lower than the national average rate. Property crimes account for around 92.7% of the crime rate in Oregon which is 2% higher than the national rate. The remaining 7% are violent crimes and are about 44% lower than other states. Oregon has a rate 16% lower than the national average of incarcerated adults per 100,000. Oregon has a rate 24% lower than the national average number of probationers per 100,000 people. Oregon has a rate 58% higher than the national average number of parolees per 100,000 people. Taxpayers paid $30,828 7% higher than the other states per inmate in 2009, in comparison to the National average of $28,689.
Admission numbers to jail tell a lot an average 200-300 bed jail in Oregon will process between 6,000 and 10,000 inmates throughout the course of a year.
Prisons are under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Department of Corrections, a state agency, and provide a different and unique service to the state’s citizens. Prisons house long term sentenced felons. A 500-bed prison will likely see a 200 to 300 inmate turnover during the year, or a total of around 750 inmates. Not only are all of these prisoners sentenced, they arrive from jails or other state agencies, and are generally free from substance use.
Oregon Sheriff’s operate 31 jail facilities. On one hand, Multnomah and Lane Counties operate multiple facilities. On the other hand, several of the smaller counties east of the Cascade Mountains share a single jail facility run by NORCOR, a regional jail in The Dalles that serves Wasco, Hood River, Gilliam and Sherman Counties. The Warm Springs Tribe participates in OSJCC although their jail facility is not run by a sheriff.
Oregon jail managers have created a cooperative statewide prisoner shuttle system for efficiency in transporting prisoners among the many facilities. Many jails also staff a transport unit with a handful of deputies to facilitate inmate movement.
