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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General OCE Information

Who is OCE?
Oregon Corrections Enterprises is a semi-independent state agency which operates training programs for adults in custody (AICs) housed within Oregon prisons. OCE teaches marketable technical and soft skills, and it is committed to training AICs to successfully re-enter society. The skills attained help offenders obtain gainful employment, reducing the chances of the person returning to a criminal lifestyle. OCE works to develop second-chance employment relationships with public and private sector organizations.

OCE General Overview

How much does OCE cost taxpayers?
Oregon Corrections Enterprises is a self-funded, self-sustaining program. It receives no general fund allocations. Proceeds generated are reinvested into the agency to operate and expand training programs for as many adults in custody as possible. The programs are designed to teach current marketable work skills, including the soft skills preferred by most future employers.

Does OCE compete with the private sector?
State statute requires Oregon Corrections Enterprises to be self-sustaining and does not limit customer demographics. Some states require state government agencies to purchase from their own State Correctional Industries. While encouraged, Oregon does not have this requirement. This means Oregon Corrections Enterprises often competes with the private sector, although most of the competition is with private sector companies located outside of Oregon or the United States. Oregon Corrections Enterprises prefers not to compete with Oregon's private sector and, in fact, prefers to partner with the local private sector to create second-chance employment opportunities for those participating in the training programs.

How do I submit a public records request?
All public records requests must be in writing. Please complete the Public Records Request Form and click Submit to forward your request to OCE's Public Information Officer. You will receive an initial response within five business days. Please note: per ORS 192.502 (30), OCE records of a sensitive business nature may be redacted. OCE follows the Oregon Secretary of State Records Retention Schedules, so records before a certain date may not be available.

Public Records Request

Adults in Custody

How effective is OCE when it comes to reducing recidivism?
Oregon Corrections Enterprises recidivism rate is 13% for an adult in custody who stays in our training program for at least six months. This means only 13% of the participants start a new incarceration cycle in the first three years after release. Similar to the rate experienced by Oregon Department of Corrections, this rate is one of the lowest in the country and rivals that of Norway's Corrections system, considered by some to be one of the most effective in the world.

How are adults in custody selected for the training program?
The adults in custody (AICs) fill out an application for the position in which they are interested. To be considered, AICs must be of good behavior, and also show a strong desire to turn their lives around by learning new skills. To participate in most programs, AICs are required to possess or be actively pursuing a GED. If the minimum qualifications are met, the applicants are interviewed to simulate a real-world environment. To enhance the experience, AICs receive regularly-scheduled performance reviews.

Reentry Training Programs

Some projects include installation services in the community. Do you provide security?
The Oregon Corrections Enterprises team is trained annually in current security methods and procedures. Staff members coordinate and are on site for every delivery and installation.

Products and Services

Who can purchase from OCE?
According to the Oregon Constitution, sales of goods and services produced by adults in custody is not restricted to any market demographic in Oregon. Oregon Corrections Enterprises customers are mostly city, county, and state government entities; non-profits; schools, from elementary to higher education; and tribal governments. In addition to those markets are public and private partnerships with an emphasis on partners who provide second-chance employment opportunities to participants.

What products and services does OCE offer?
The manufacturing training programs produce both standard and custom products. These products include office and lounge furniture; outdoor furnishings; and fleet equipment. Other programs include upholstery, printing, garments, embroidery, signs, and metal fabrication. The programs also provide training in computer-aided drafting and design (CADD) and computer-numeric controlled (CNC) programming. The service training programs include commercial laundry, contact centers, and digital design. Other services offered include office services, and general services, such as fulfillment. Partnerships bring additional training opportunities, such as analyzing websites (in an off-line environment) for compliance with ADA standards for the visually impaired.

Is OCE part of the new OregonBuys eProcurement system?
What is OregonBuys? Oregon is moving to a new web-based eProcurement system called OregonBuys. It is replacing the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) and will be the statewide eProcurement solution for all state agencies. ORPIN replacement is scheduled for spring 2020, and the website is currently up and forward facing. The Procure-to-Pay functionality is scheduled to begin at the end of this biennium, June 30, 2021.

OregonBuys Welcome Page

How will they switch over? The OregonBuys project team will use a phased approach that will begin by replacing the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN) for all state agencies, Oregon Cooperative Procurement Program members (ORCPP), and vendors. The second phase will rollout additional procure-to-pay functionality (beyond ORPIN) for state agencies. After the completion of these two phases, additional procure-to-pay functionality will be made available to ORCPPs.

OregonBuys Project Page

Is Oregon Corrections Enterprises part of this change? Yes, OCE is registered with OregonBuys as a vendor and is working directly with the project team and the product vendor to bring OCE products to the new system as they move to eProcurement. OregonBuys plans to follow the DAS Buy Decision when returning product query results. State agencies are being phased into the system, and when OregonBuys is ready to launch eProcurement, OCE will have a host of products, images, prices, and descriptions available to our customers. For the time being, we are continuing our normal processes and ask our customers to reach out to us on our Contact Page, via email, by phone at 800-776-7712 or 503-428-5500, or by contacting an Inside Sales representative or Outside Sales manager.

DAS Buy DecisionOCE Contact PageEmail OCE Sales

Where do I find the current OCE Product Warranty? - Updated April 20, 2021
What does my warranty cover? Select a button below to view the current OCE warranty for each product type. Warranty information includes how to obtain services, contact information, exclusions, limits of liability, and more.

OCE Product WarrantyOCE Dorm Furniture WarrantyPrison Blues Guitar Warranty