Women’s prison in Oregon gets two directors

The troubled women's prison in Wilsonville in the US state of Oregon will in future be run by two directors, one of whom will devote himself exclusively to “promoting gender-equitable practices”, the Ministry of Justice announced on Tuesday.

Experienced correctional officer Nichole Brown previously managed the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility alone and held that position for five years.

She went on personal leave in July and was replaced by acting Superintendent Josh Highberger, superintendent of the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem, the agency said.

A spokesman said Brown is expected to return to work next week.

A memo to correctional staff said Brown and Highberger would now run the prison together “for a period of time.” Brown's salary is $192,384, while Highberger's is $183,312.

The memo was signed by agency director Michael Reese and deputy director Heidi Steward.

Highberger will continue to serve as deputy superintendent; the department plans a national search for his successor, said Amber Campbell, a corrections department spokeswoman.

According to the memo, Highberger will focus on running the prison and “ensuring our facility operates efficiently,” while Brown will address problems identified in an outside report last year that found a crisis in prison culture.

According to the report by the Women's Justice Institute and the Center for Effective Public Policy, inmates at Coffee Creek reported that they face retaliation if they complain about sexual misconduct by correctional staff. There are about 900 women incarcerated at the prison.

The report also highlighted the high level of mental health and substance abuse treatment needs among Coffee Creek's inmates, citing the prison's chronic and severe staff shortages and disagreements between the staff providing mental health care to prisoners and the staff guarding them.

Last year, a federal judge sentenced former Coffee Creek nurse Tony D. Klein to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing nine women in prison.

Seventeen former and current inmates at Oregon's only women's prison said Klein sexually abused them in 2016 and 2017 while they sought medical care or worked in the medical unit.

— Noelle Crombie is a business reporter who focuses on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184; ncrombie@oregonian.

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