| Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution 25th Anniversary |
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| EOCI is celebrating its 25th Anniversary on June 24th, 2010 |
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Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution
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In 1983 the Oregon Corrections Institutions system was overcrowded with 5,100 inmates occupying space for 2,800. In July of 1983, Senate Bill 780 appropriated $9.6 million for conversions and the first medium security male correctional facility was established outside of Marion County. Groundbreaking and construction began on April 30, 1984 at the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center in Pendleton, Oregon.
On June 24, 1985 Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution opened housing inmates in temporary living quarters on the west side of the facility until construction was complete.
Prior to its conversion to a prison, EOCI had been a state mental hospital, originally constructed in 1912. Nearly all of the original buildings were preserved during the conversion process, which occurred over a seven-year period. The 58-acre institution is located within the city limits of Pendleton and enjoys a positive and supportive relationship with the community.
EOCI contracts with Blue Mountain Community College to provide education services at the institution. Approximately 2,360 inmates have received either a GED certificate or an adult high school diploma since the education program began in 1986.
New Directions Education Project was formed in 1999 by a group of people who felt that inmates should have more than a GED to start their lives upon release. Donations were sought from churches, civic groups, individuals and eventually from foundations in order to pay for tuition, textbooks and supplies so that Blue Mountain Community College would provide instructors to teach college-transfer classes at EOCI.
Programs offered to inmates at EOCI, include:
- Behavioral Health Services: Mental Health case management, group and individual counseling, crisis intervention, day treatment, and mental health housing.
- Religious Services offers many programs to help inmates while incarcerated. Some of the programs offered are Anger Management, Making Peace With Your Past, Search for Significance and the Purpose Driven Life. These programs are all voluntary, faith-based and may be accessed by all inmates.
EOCI is the state’s only facility where the internationally-recognized "Prison Blues" line of blue denim clothing is manufactured. The garment factory is one of two prison industries programs operating at the facility. The prison’s commercial laundry cleans clothing and other items for EOCI and Snake River Correctional Institution, in addition to Pendleton’s local high school, the city’s fire department, the Pendleton Convention Center, and Krusteaz Flour Mill. Other inmate work opportunities include: food service, clerical, and facility maintenance.
The Creative Arts program started in March 2001 and includes wood working and cast iron projects. The program provides meaningful work-learning, essential job skills in a realistic work environment that is designed to improve an inmate’s chance of getting a job and becoming a productive citizen upon release to the community. The program is completely self-funded. The staff and inmates continue to explore unique ideas for creative arts projects, and in doing so the program is now assisting other state agencies in development of their wood working programs.
Today, the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution has over 425 employees, is Pendleton’s fourth largest employer, and houses 1,670 inmates. A celebration for department employees and retirees has been scheduled. For more information contact Andrea Neistadt at 541-278-3602. Please join us in congratulating and recognizing EOCI for 25 years of service to the State of Oregon.
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