human resources specialist

superintendent

food service coordinator

administrative specialist

plumber

Oregon Department of Corrections

A typical day at work for me usually consists of meeting with inmates who are mentally and/or people with developmental disabilities. During sessions, I assess inmates for symptoms, determine if they are safe and not having thoughts of hurting himself or others. I do mental health assessments and psychosocial evaluations. I assess if they need a higher level of care. I complete SOAP note and treatment plans. I also consult with doctors, security, and other stake holders. I respond to crises throughout the day, which sometimes ends up in the inmate needing to be put on suicide watch and assess and assessed 24 hours later whether or not they should remain on suicide watch or if they can be taken off. 

During the course of this job, I have learned that mental illnesses are more prevalent than I thought. I have been able to tell if an inmate is malingering in order to get a need met. 

I get along with my coworkers. I am comfortable consulting with them to get second opinions and get someone with fresh eyes to look at a case.

The hardest part of my job is to get creative with an inmate and develop treatment plans that the security officers do not agree with. For example, if an inmate is having behavioral problems, we may make an agreement with him saying that if he can go a certain length of time without engaging in therapy interfering behaviors, they can earn something, such as a call to a family member.

The most enjoyable part of my job is working directly with the inmates. I see them as a human first rather than seeing them as inmates first. I have been able to build rapport with difficult inmates by doing this. I enjoy seeing the progress an inmate makes and seeing them finally able to gain some insight into themselves. My passion is counseling and guiding an inmate to success is very rewarding.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Good training program to get you up to speed to work in a very busy environment with lots of challenges supervising adult inmates and working with a diverse staff.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Stress is handled different per person. Mine was going to a new post and learning what I need to do there and managing a new group of inmates. Or responding to multiple inmates fighting and trying quell a disturbance without getting sprayed by other staff on scene.   

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is a paramilitary culture with team focused approach but also an individual when you are running a housing unit and going by the principles of Firm, Fair and Consistent. You have to know the rules and enforce them fairly to avoid issues.   

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Getting to work and getting your radio, OC pepper spray and keys  at a control center before going to an admin. area on complex to wait for briefing. Or Going to control center and exchanging chits for OC spray and keys for a housing unit where you will go and get a short briefing from departing staff before taking over unit. Be there 10-15 minutes before start of shift.

ORDOC isn’t for everyone. The good-old-boy system is very much in effect. As a none-security staff you don’t have to have much contact with as many Adults-In-Custody (AIC’s) as if you were security.
As an electrician you will asked to supervise and sign apprenticeship hours. The AIC’s in your apprenticeship have been screened and are generally the guys who will not redicivate. DOC apprenticeships have like a 0% return-rate.

If you want a divorce then I strongly encourage becoming a Corrections Employee. The things you see there will confuse and frustrate you. Seeing the staff play their games with AIC’s and other staff will not sit well with you morally. You will also come to find out that all the Correction Officers sleep around and date each other like this is some College Campus.

Stay-in-your-lane and do not expect to make any positive changes to the system as a whole. DOC is broken systemically. Mandatory human housing for profit. 

If you have-a-hard-on for treating people less than human then accept a job offer from DOC. Don’t get me wrong - they need more morally-wholesome people. 

This job isn’t for everyone. If you are former
Military you may make this a careeer. If you just need a job this will be temporary as the environment is extremely unhealthy for the average individual.

this profession is not for everyone. many try and fail. if you are able to stick it out many of the nice jobs are seniority based so the more time you put in the easier and less stressful your job gets. But to start they throw you to the wolves you need to be able to tell a grown man no, you dont have to be mean about it but it's probably the most important ability you need .I started when I was 21 years old and that was a new to me tell 40-50 year old men what, how and when they could perform simple tasks like going to the bathroom. but the training process has gotten allot better than when I started so you will have mentors and people there to help you make the transition. And there is no one right way to do this job. everyone does it a little different you take a little bit from all your teachers and FTO's and you find what works for you and what doesn't, and you press on. i know that the interview hiring process can be stressful and is harder and more inconvenient than probably any job you applied to in the past preserver though because. if you have a clean background and a pulse you will be given an opportunity to see if this is something you are capable of. thx for reading i wish you good luck

What is the best part of working at the company?
Benefits. Management is absolutely the worst. They have no care for their employees what so ever. Inmates have more rights than the employees do. You will never get backed by management if an inmate accuses you of anything. And most of the time, 99% of the time, the inmate is lying and just wants to get a settlement from the State for money and they live to get employees fired if they can. They literally have goals set to do this to workers. It’s very sad and has a very corrupt management dept at the prison I work at.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Corrupt management. They do not give any support to employees or even feel obligated to do what is right. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very negative. Inmates have all the rights. Employees do not.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I worked in pharmacy for almost 7 years. So I did med refills and made sure all meds were ordered in correctly.

Working for Oregon Department of Corrections is not just a job, but a career. It is a career where you have job security, an excellent benefits package and a great retirement package. It offers advancement opportunities and on the job training in many of the positions offered by the department. The starting wage exceeds the typical starting wage for most companies and provides a stable family income. They recognize diversity in the work place and they do not discriminate, show bias or prejudice. The department as a whole has implemented wellness based programs which are intended to aid in healthy life choices and they are always striving to make it a better place to work. I can't speak highly enough of this organization. I would recommend it to anyone based on the fact that there are so many job opportunities available in various fields of interest.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great salaries and benefits, including retirement.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The former director was horrible and fortunately has left the department.  Hopefully they get better leadership.  Working in dorm environments with prisoners keeps you on your toes, but it also leads to hypervigiligence.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
If the governor gets a good director in with good leadership, it will do wonders for moral.  The former director did not have the employees backs, but neither does our Governor.  Governor Kotek cares more for the inmates than she does the employees.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You definitely hit the floor running.  It's exciting because every day is different, but stressful because every day is different.  You go into an environment with pepper spray and restraints and that's what you have to work with the deal with fights, suicide/attempts, and personal attacks.

You will be mandated to work an extra 8 hours on top of your regular hours twice a week, with little (8 hrs) to NO warning. The culture is toxic. No such thing as Family/Work balance. The "Blue Wall of Silence" is alive and well here. It reeks of the "Good Ol' Boys Club." The union is weak, very weak. Lt's and Captains versus Officers, Corporals, and Sargents. The ranks are divided by design. It is a dysfunctional militant environment that will never change because of the extremely high turnover rate, low pay, and the junior high type of unchecked rumor spreading. HR is not your friend, not even close.

The security side of the prison is very well managed and supportive.  The management for the behavioral health side of the prison changed approximately two years ago and it became a very difficult place to exist in.  BHS management expects all of the therapists to remain in line of their way of thinking regardless of how dangerous their position may put people in.  They also disregarded an ADA request for accommodation.  It is difficult to advance at the ODOC within the behavioral health services department, especially if the person wanting to advance expresses a difference of opinion.  The work itself is rewarding and intellectually stimulating.  The ODOC would be a great place to work for therapists if they had better management.

The nursing staff are not supported by management. The atmosphere is really toxic A good share of the staff is agency.  Not enough training for agency nurses.  No opportunities to take nursing classes, the department of corrections won’t pay for it.  For example if you wanted to get certified in wound care or take a class on ekg interpretation.  Forget about it.  There is like 1 provider 2-3 days a week. I’ve seen 2 nurse practitioners lose their license, and 4 nurses get turned into the state board of nursing by the manager if they don’t like you.  That’s just in the last 5 years.  If you want to still work there you will need NSO insurance and send e-mails to yourself as a time stamp in case they investigate you.  Losing your nursing license to work there isn’t worth it

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Human resources specialist 4 salaries reported	$5,994 per month
Superintendent 2 salaries reported	$10,310 per month
Food service coordinator 3 salaries reported	$4,754 per month
Administrative specialist 3 salaries reported	$4,984 per month
Plumber 2 salaries reported	$6,057 per month

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