Oregon DOC Fails To Improve Conditions For Inmates With Serious Mental illness

During 2016, the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) launched but made little progress toward its goal of improving conditions for inmates with serious mental illness (SMI) housed at the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP). Despite making changes to decrease isolation and improve conditions for about 40 inmates with SMI housed in the OSP behavioral health unit (BHU), the average hours per week the inmates are allowed to be out of their cells for treatment, education, and unstructured time has remained static, at less than five hours per week.

In 2016, the Oregon DOC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Disability . . .