Prison
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Fired Oregon prison health leaders delayed treatment, retaliated against staff, report claims
The 84-page internal investigation also highlighted inadequate treatment of women’s health by Chief of Medicine Dr. Warren Roberts.
Oregon Department of Corrections fires two top health care leaders
Corrections Director Mike Reese fired Assistant Director of Health Services Joe Bugher and Chief of Medicine Dr. Warren Roberts, according to an announcement Monday. Corrections department officials say they are overhauling the division and trying to improve its health care system.
Judge may order Snake River to release inmate early over inadequate medical care
Releasing prisoners over access to medical treatment is rare, but it has happened before
State initiative helps Oregon inmates forge new career pathways
WorkSource Oregon Reentry looks to relieve one of the most stressful parts of leaving prison by bringing job training and employment services inside correctional facilities.
Health
A mentally ill inmate in Oregon lost nearly 100 pounds before his sudden death, records suggest
New details from Skye Baskin's autopsy and interviews indicate that his medical emergency had started long before he arrived at the Oregon State Hospital.
Northwest tribes call for changes at Washington jails
Citing a handful of Native Americans who have died behind bars recently, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians say jails run by counties and cities need to do a better job treating incarcerated people dealing with drug use, withdrawal symptoms and suicide.
Judge finds Oregon guard invited ‘violent assault’ on prisoner, then state failed to provide adequate care
An Oregon prison guard sanctioned the attack of a man serving time at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in 2022. After the attack, the Oregon Department of Corrections failed to meet the standards of medical care to treat “extreme and debilitating injuries.”
Think Out Loud
Correctional health care provider again destroys evidence in a wrongful death case
For a third time, a federal judge has ruled that Wellpath — one of the nation’s largest for-profit providers of health care to people in prisons and jails — wrongfully deleted emails connected to in-custody deaths. Wellpath operates in at least 10 correctional facilities in Oregon and Washington, and has purged email evidence in at least three wrongful death cases in the Pacific Northwest. Criminal justice reporter Conrad Wilson joins us to discuss the cases.
Think Out Loud
Washington prison phone fees generates millions, state isn’t using much of the funding
Phone calls and other fees collected in Washington prisons are meant to provide better conditions for those incarcerated. We'll hear from a reporter to learn why much of the funds aren't being used.
Oregon State Hospital resumes visitation, but most will be no-contact
For now, patients receiving a “hospital-level of care” will only be allowed visits with no physical contact.