Gov. Kate Brown is using her executive authority to close three Oregon prisons, a move her office said would save the state more than $44 million dollars.
Oregon inmates struggle with extreme heat inside prisons; advocates call for better cooling systems OregonLive.com 8 hrs ago
Oregon’s heatwave has hit prison inmates particularly hard.
Inmates have lodged complaints about sweltering temperatures over the past several days, prompting prison lawyers to call on legislators to provide them immediate relief from the conditions.
In a Monday letter to legislators, Oregon Justice Resource Center lawyers Juan Chavez and Zach Winston detailed some of the “dire” conditions that inmates have experienced. They said older, immunocompromised and mentally ill inmates have struggled even more from the heat.
They said the majority of complaints about the heat had come from inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility and Santiam Correctional Institution. Two of those facilities are in Salem, where temperatures reached 117 degrees on Monday.
Governor decides against shutting down Lakeview prison, Representative says
Governor Kate Brown reportedly told stakeholders on Tuesday that she has decided not to shut down Warner Creek Correctional Facility in Lakeview as planned.
Posted: May 11, 2021 3:52 PM
Posted By: Jamie Parfitt
LAKEVIEW, Ore. Governor Kate Brown has decided not to shut down Warner Creek Correctional Facility in Lakeview, state Representative E. Werner Reschke said on Tuesday.
In January, Brown announced that she had directed the Oregon Department of Corrections to shut down three state prisons Mill Creek Correctional Facility in Salem, Shutter Creek Correctional Institution in North Bend, and Warner Creek.