Willamette Week
The need for strong, independent local journalism
is more urgent than ever. Please support the city we
love by joining Friends of Willamette Week.
Black Oregonians Are Imprisoned at a Rate Almost Four Times That of White People “Prisons and the criminal legal system are designed to control and dominate certain populations.” UNEVEN: The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. Updated 6:37 AM Racial disparities are embedded in all aspects of Oregon life, but incarceration rates are particularly jarring: Black Oregonians are imprisoned at a rate almost four times that of white people. State prison data shows that as of April 2020, there were 307 white people imprisoned per 100,000 population. That number for Black people? It’s 1,126 per 100,000, 3.7 times more than their white counterparts.
Readers respond: Inmates punished by low wages
Posted May 04, 2021
Regarding the April 21 article “Oregon Department of Corrections sued for charging prisoners for artificial limbs, other medical equipment”: This is just the tip of the iceberg. Inmates make pennies per hour for working full-time jobs where the state gets paid maximum dollars. Although inmates get very little for the services they perform, they have to pay for needed items from the commissary at top-dollar prices. For instance, a good pair of shoes is $144, which is more than one month’s pay. Deodorant is $4.26. Cereal similar to cereal sold at the dollar store is $3.73. Commissary prices continue to go up, but there has been no increase in wages in years. Food served in the cafeteria is often expired, spoiled or undercooked. Many inmates try to make their own meals in their cells, but the cost of food items is too high. I understand that the punishment is incarceration, but it seems that once people are inca
Oregon sued for charging inmates for medical devices mailtribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mailtribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Always, always, always film the cops. Suzette Smith
GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! With bombs and the devil, and the kids keep comin , no way to breathe easy, no time to be young. LET S GO TO PRESS.
• The Oregon Health Authority is investigating whether a woman who died from blood clots after taking the Johnson & Johnson vaccine perished because of the dose. At this point it s still unknown whether there is any connection, and even then,
blood clots are EXTREMELY rare in those who receive the J&J shot less than one in a million in the US and the FDA is considering putting it back on the market (with a warning) saying the chance of getting blood clots after taking the vaccine is like finding needles in a haystack.
In addition to preventing the practice in the future, the plaintiffs want the state to reimburse people.
Apr 23rd, 2021
iStock
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A class action lawsuit has been filed claiming the Oregon Department of Corrections is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because it charges prisoners with disabilities for prosthetics and other medical devices they need.
The suit was filed this week in federal court by Portland attorney Lynn Walsh and nonprofit legal organization Disability Rights Advocates, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
The litigation aims to prevent the practice of charging people with disabilities in prison for health care appliances and durable medical equipment. In addition to preventing the practice in the future, the plaintiffs want the state to reimburse people.