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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Jeffrey R. Williams, died the evening of September 21, 2020. Williams was incarcerated at Oregon State Penitentiary and passed away in the infirmary while on end of life care. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified.
Williams entered DOC custody on May 4, 1989, from Coos County and was sentenced to death. Williams was 59 years old. Next of kin has been notified.
DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.
OSP is a multi-custody prison located in Salem that houses over 2,000 adults in custody. OSP is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall with 10 towers. The facility has multiple special housing units including disciplinary segregation, behavioral health, intermediate care housing, and an infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care. OSP participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including the furniture factory, laundry, metal shop, and contact center. It provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, work-based education, work crews, and pre-release services. OSP was established in 1866 and, until 1959, was Oregon’s only prison.
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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died on September 21, 2020. He was incarcerated at the Snake River Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19. He was between 80 and 85 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. This is the seventh AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.
For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.
Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. Visiting remains closed until further notice.
DOC requires employees and AICs to wear masks if they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing. Wearing masks is mandatory at all times in health services areas, some work areas, and in food services areas. Cloth masks have been provided to AICs and staff. If an AIC becomes ill and exhibits flu like symptoms, then CDC and OHA guidance for supportive care are followed.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.
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As of September 18, 2020, adults in custody (AICs) who evacuated Coffee Creek Correctional Facility have returned to their home institution in Wilsonville. On September 10, the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) evacuated CCCF to Deer Ridge Correctional Institution (DRCI) in Madreas due to threats from the Riverside and Santiam wildfires. At that time, the institution was determined to be in potential danger as these two fires threatened to merge. DOC has worked with the Oregon State Police and the State Fire Marshal to keep everyone who works and lives inside this facility safe.
The total number of AICs evacuated from CCCF was 1,303, including AICs from the Coffee Creek Intake Center. The return trip spanned across four days so the department could rely on internal resources, including a fleet of buses—the majority of which included restrooms. Meals, water, and hygiene items were sent with each AIC, and a supply truck returned CCCF supplies that were taken to DRCI during the evacuation. In addition, an ADA accessible portable restroom was dropped partway along the route, and portable restrooms were made available at CCCF to mitigate any delay in processing AICs into the institution. Once DRCI’s medium facility was vacated, AICs being temporarily housed in the minimum facility returned to the medium facility—a move which was also completed on September 18.
DOC is aware of the impact the decision to evacuate may have had on the spread of COVID-19 within its facilities and took precautions to mitigate the impact whenever possible. While social distancing is always challenging in a prison environment—and made even more difficult in the midst of wildfire evacuations—masks continue to be provided and encouraged among all AICs and employees. In addition, DOC Health Services works closely with DOC transport and institutions to ensure AIC health needs are met during this difficult time.
CCCF is a multi-custody prison located in Wilsonville accommodating 283 men and 1,020 women. The prison has cell and dormitory housing, work programs, skills training, treatment programs, health services, religious services, physical plant, a central records unit, and administrative areas. CCCF participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises, including a contact center, auto CAD, and document scanning. In addition, CCCF houses the state’s intake center, which provides intake and evaluation of all individuals committed to state custody by the courts. CCCF’s minimum facility opened in 2001, and the medium facility opened in 2002.
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As of September 15, 2020, all adults in custody (AICs) who evacuated Oregon State Correctional Institution (OSCI) have now returned to their home institution. On September 8, the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) evacuated OSCI along with Mill Creek Correctional Facility (MCCF) and Santiam Correctional Institution (SCI) due to threats from wildfires, temporarily relocating the incarcerated populations of all three prisons to the Oregon State Penitentiary. AICs from MCCF and SCI who evacuated at the same time as OSCI returned to their home institutions on September 10.
The total number of AICs evacuated from the three Salem intuitions is 1,370. DOC has worked with the Oregon State Police and the State Fire Marshall during each evacuation to keep everyone who works and lives inside these prisons safe.
DOC is aware of the impact the decision to evacuate could have on the spread of COVID-19 within its facilities, and took precautions to mitigate the impact whenever possible. While social distancing is always challenging in a prison environment—and made even more difficult in the midst of wildfire evacuations—masks have continued to be provided and encouraged among all AICs and employees. In addition, DOC Health Services is working closely with transport and institutions to ensure AIC health needs are met during this difficult time.
Evacuation is a temporary measure and DOC will return the remaining evacuated AICs to their home institution when it is safe to do so.
OSCI is a medium security prison in Salem that houses approximately 824 adults in custody. OSCI provides a range of correctional services and programs including education, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, religious services, AIC work crews, and transition planning. OSCI participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises, including a print shop and a call center. OSCI was established by action of the 1955 Legislature and became fully operational on June 1, 1959.
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***Updated contact information for Deer Ridge Correctional Facility***
On September 11 at around 10:00 p.m., male adults in custody (AICs) at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution (DRCI) left their housing units to protest emergency conditions put in place by the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) in response to state wildfires. Approximately 200 male AICs refused to follow direction and return to their housing units from the yard. All but 12 AICs returned to their housing units by 2:00 a.m. on September 12. DOC’s Crisis Negotiation Team was deployed, and no force was used to clear the yard. The remaining 12 AICs were placed in special housing and transferred to another institution. No employee or AICs required medical treatment.
There are two facilities on-site at DRCI – one minimum security and one medium security. As of September 10, the DRCI AICs were being housed in the medium facility and needed to be transferred to the minimum facility to accommodate the multi-custody level evacuees from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF). Before this move, the minimum facility was vacant.
At this time, the men do not have access to traditional phones because the minimum facility had not been in use since 2016 and phones could not be set up with such short notice. DOC employees had been working to provide the men in the minimum facility with phone calls via employee work phones. DRCI is collaborating with our AIC telephone provider to install ten new AIC phones in this facility. Because the CCCF AICs were moved into the active facility, they have access to phones, video calls, and tablets.
The protesting AICs demanded changes to emergency operations, citing the poor air quality from wildfires, temporary lack of access to phones, and other disruptions caused by the CCCF evacuation. DRCI employees will continue to communicate with AICs as the state battles historic wildfires across Oregon. An ongoing investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the incident.
Deer Ridge Correctional Institution (DRCI) is located four miles east of Madras in central Oregon. DRCI is a multi-custody prison that currently houses 947 minimum-custody incarcerated adults. DRCI provides a range of correctional programs and services including education and trades programs, mental health treatment, cognitive and parenting programs, and institution work crews. Construction began in October 2005 with the first minimum-security adults in custody (AICs) arriving in September 2007. DRCI is the largest minimum-custody facility in the state and Oregon’s fourteenth prison.
Out of an abundance of caution, the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) is evacuating the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville due to the Riverside and Santiam wildfires. This institution is in potential danger as these fires threaten to merge. DOC has worked with the Oregon State Police and the State Fire Marshall to keep everyone who works and lives inside this facility safe.
“In the best interest of safety and security, we have evacuated Coffee Creek Correctional Facility due to the potential convergence of wildfires in the area,” says Colette S. Peters, Director of DOC. “We are focused on the lives, health, and safety of our employees and the adults in our care and custody. In this unprecedented time, I have never been more proud to be part of the Oregon Department of Corrections. The planning, logistics, and effort needed to move thousands of people safely around the state has been heroic. My thoughts are with our employees, along with all Oregonians, who have been or will be negatively impacted. We will return to normal operations as soon as it is safe to do so.”
A total of 1,303 adults in custody (AICs) will be relocated. The AICs are not being released from custody.
The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 men and women who are incarcerated in the 14 institutions across the state.
CCCF is a multi-custody prison located in Wilsonville accommodating 283 men and 1,020 women. The prison has cell and dormitory housing, work programs, skills training, treatment programs, health services, religious services, physical plant, a central records unit, and administrative areas. CCCF participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises, including a contact center, auto CAD, and document scanning. In addition, CCCF houses the state’s intake center, which provides intake and evaluation of all individuals committed to state custody by the courts. CCCF’s minimum facility opened in 2001, and the medium facility opened in 2002.
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***UPDATED with photos from the OSCI evacuation***
The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) has evacuated three Salem prisons due to threats from the Beachie Creek and Lionshead wildfires. All employees and adults in custody (AICs) from Oregon State Correctional Institution (OSCI), Santiam Correctional Institution (SCI), and Mill Creek Correctional Facility (MCCF) have been relocated to the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP). These three Salem institutions are in potential danger as the fires move down the Santiam Canyon. DOC has worked with the Oregon State Police and the State Fire Marshal to keep everyone who works and lives inside these prisons safe.
A total of 1,450 AICs have been relocated. The AICs are not being released from custody. All AICs will be housed in emergency beds throughout the institution. Employees from OSCI, SCI, and MCCF will work at OSP to ensure appropriate staffing levels. AICs will be housed with others from their home institution whenever possible.
The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 men and women who are incarcerated in the 14 institutions across the state.
OSP is located in Salem, and houses over 2,000 individuals. OSP is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall with 10 towers. The facility has multiple special housing units including death row, disciplinary segregation, behavioral health, intermediate care housing, and an infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care. OSP participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including the furniture factory, laundry, metal shop, and contact center. It provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, work-based education, inmate work crews, and pre-release services. OSP was established in 1866 and, until 1959, was Oregon's only prison.
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Two Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adults in custody died recently. Both were incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) in Salem. As with all in-custody deaths, Oregon State Police have been notified.
Ronald James Kyle died September 5, 2020. Kyle entered DOC custody on November 4, 2009, from Washington County with an earliest release date of May 29, 2029. Kyle was on hospice care and passed away in the infirmary. Kyle was 68 years old.
Arturo Mora Ruiz died September 5, 2020. Ruiz entered DOC custody on June 18, 1985, from Jackson County and was serving a life sentence. Ruiz was end of life care and passed away at a local hospital. Ruiz was 59 years old.
DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.
OSP is a multi-custody prison located in Salem that houses over 2,000 adults in custody. OSP is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall with 10 towers. The facility has multiple special housing units including death row, disciplinary segregation, behavioral health, intermediate care housing, and an infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care. OSP participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including the furniture factory, laundry, metal shop, and contact center. It provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, work-based education, work crews, and pre-release services. OSP was established in 1866 and, until 1959, was Oregon’s only prison.
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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died on September 6, 2020. He was incarcerated at the Snake River Correctional Institution and passed away in local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19. He was between 60 and 70 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. This is the sixth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.
For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in the 14 institutions across the state.
Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. Visiting remains closed until further notice.
DOC requires employees and AICs to wear masks if they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing. Wearing masks is mandatory in health services areas, some work areas, and in food services areas. Cloth masks have been provided to AICs and staff. If an AIC becomes ill and exhibits flu like symptoms, then CDC and OHA guidance for supportive care are followed.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.
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Two Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adults in custody died recently. Both passed away while on hospice care. As with all in-custody deaths, Oregon State Police have been notified.
Johnny Eugene Hayes, Jr. died August 31, 2020. Hayes was housed at Snake River Correctional Institution. He entered DOC custody on June 27, 2014, from Washington County with an earliest release date of January 13, 2021. Hayes was 50 years old.
Robert Simms Goin died August 30, 2020. Goin was housed at Two Rivers Correctional Institution. He entered DOC custody on November 23, 2016, from Columbia County with an earliest release date of September 26, 2026. Goin was 76 years old.
DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.
DOC employs 4,500 staff members at 14 institutions, two community corrections offices, and several centralized support facilities throughout the state. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 14,000 adults sentenced to more than 12 months of incarceration, and direct or indirect supervision of 32,000 offenders on felony supervision in the community. DOC is recognized nationally among correctional agencies for providing adults in custody with the cognitive, education, and job skills needed to become productive citizens when they transition back to their communities.
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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died the evening of August 26, 2020. He was incarcerated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19. He was between 50 and 60 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. This is the fifth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.
For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.
Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. Visiting remains closed until further notice.
DOC requires employees and AICs to wear masks if they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing. Wearing masks is mandatory at all times in health services areas, some work areas, and in food services areas. Cloth masks have been provided to AICs and staff. If an AIC becomes ill and exhibits flu like symptoms, then CDC and OHA guidance for supportive care are followed.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.
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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died on August 26, 2020. He was incarcerated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19. He was between 65 and 75 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. This is the fourth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.
For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.
Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. Visiting remains closed until further notice.
DOC requires employees and AICs to wear masks if they cannot maintain six feet of social distancing. Wearing masks is mandatory in health services areas, some work areas, and in food services areas. Cloth masks have been provided to AICs and staff. If an AIC becomes ill and exhibits flu like symptoms, then CDC and OHA guidance for supportive care and treatment, including hospitalization, are followed.
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.
An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Douglas Burnham, died August 24, 2020. Burnham was incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution (TRCI) in Umatilla and passed away at an outside medical facility. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.
Burnham entered DOC custody on March 8, 2011, from Clackamas County with an earliest release date of April 22, 2022. Burnham was 80 years old. Next of kin has been notified.
DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 14,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.
TRCI is a multi-custody prison in Umatilla that houses approximately 1,800 adults in custody. TRCI participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including institution and industrial laundry, mattress manufacturing, and sewing. Other institution work programs include reparation and cleaning of irrigation ditches, maintenance of local baseball fields, and work with local cities and the Hermiston School District. The facility provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, religious services, and behavioral health services. TRCI opened in 2000.
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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody who walked away from Santiam Correctional Institution is back in custody. Kameron J. Bowen stole a Department of Corrections (DOC) dump truck on Monday, August 24, 2020 and left the institution property.
Later that evening, Bowen was apprehended in Salem, by the Salem Police Department, in conjunction with DOC’s Special Investigations Unit. The stolen DOC dump truck was also recovered.