02/01/2023
Michael grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, running away from an abusive home at 12 years old. He went to live with his grandparents. His grandfather would take him to work with him over summer breaks and teach him about life. Life was good, then it wasn't. Michael's grandfather passed away when he was seventeen, leaving a void. He coped the only way he knew how, hiding behind a bottle and then drugs. The need to get high led to poor choices landing him in an Arizona prison at 20. He paroled to his mothers house here in Oregon. He was doing well for a while and then eventually started drinking again. This led to drugs, and Michael started getting in trouble. He tried several times to get sober but failed. Then he found himself running around with the worst group of people, and ended up in prison for the second time, paroling in 2012.
07/14/2022
Nobody first thinks of prison as a land of opportunity.
For most of the men and women who are sentenced to time in Oregon prisons each year, prison is, at best, a course correction. For some its a forced detour around a road that was falling apart. For others, a prison cell is a timeout from the life they look forward to jumping right back into.
01/27/2021
As we navigate this worldwide pandemic, Oregon Corrections Enterprises wants to assure you we are planning for success regarding continuity of operations. We are constantly striving to improve our plans and are using all resources available to us to do so.
11/08/2020
We have received many letters and continue to see more come in. The responses have been fairly well-rounded with a range of positive, negative, and neutral tones. We want to share with you a letter we received from Theophilus. Theophilus resides at Oregon State Penitentiary and works in OCE's Call Center, leading and mentoring others while growing himself. His last name has been redacted for considerations of safety and sensitivity. What he has to say in the following letter is real and in his own words.
11/04/2020
The Hear My Voice video series is OCE's response to the desire of the men and women in our programs to have a platform to speak to the community. These videos were made to allow them to express their thoughts by speaking from the heart. This series offers a chance for those wishing to personalize themselves, to let the public see they are people who prefer to speak for themselves. They are aware of the societal climate pushing for changes and they are not in complete agreement. Sometimes a letter is not enough; it is easier to have a conversation, but if they did write one it will be included with the video.
11/02/2020
We have received many letters and continue to see more come in. The responses have been fairly well-rounded with a range of positive, negative, and neutral tones. We want to share with you a letter we received from Kyle Colleen. Kyle Colleen resides at Coffee Creek Correctional Institution and works in OCE's programs there. Her last name has been redacted for considerations of safety and sensitivity. Kyle Colleen has years of perspective and sees OCE programs as a vehicle for positive change in the women who voluntarily participate. What she has to say in the following letter is real and in her own words.
10/28/2020
The Hear My Voice video series is OCE's response to the desire of the men and women in our programs to have a platform to speak to the community. These videos were made to allow them to express their thoughts by speaking from the heart. This series offers a chance for those wishing to personalize themselves, to let the public see they are people who prefer to speak for themselves. They are aware of the societal climate pushing for changes and they are not in complete agreement. Sometimes a letter is not enough; it is easier to have a conversation, but if they did write one it will be included with the video.
10/25/2020
We have received many letters and continue to see more come in. The responses have been fairly well-rounded with a range of positive, negative, and neutral tones. We want to share with you a letter we received from Alberto. Alberto resides at Oregon State Correctional Institution and works in OCE's Call Center, learning skills and gaining experience for release. His last name has been redacted for considerations of safety and sensitivity. What he has to say in the following letter is real and in his own words.
10/21/2020
The Hear My Voice video series is OCE's response to the desire of the men and women in our programs to have a platform to speak to the community. These videos were made to allow them to express their thoughts by speaking from the heart. This series offers a chance for those wishing to personalize themselves, to let the public see they are people who prefer to speak for themselves. They are aware of the societal climate pushing for changes and they are not in complete agreement. Sometimes a letter is not enough; it is easier to have a conversation, but if they did write one it will be included with the video.
10/19/2020
We have received many letters and continue to see more come in. The responses have been fairly well-rounded with a range of positive, negative, and neutral tones. We want to share with you a letter we received from a data entry clerk from the OCE Print Shop at Oregon State Correctional Institution. He chose to leave his name off, and speaks freely about his experiences in OCE. What he has to say in the following letter is real and in his own words.
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