[audio interview] Both sides of the bars: K.X, age 19, and the superintendent
Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility is an all-female facility in Albany, Oregon. The only one in the state. Last month Richard Ross spent 12+ hours talking, photographing, and recording the people who live and work at Oak Creek. The following post focuses on two perspectives: K.X, a young woman in insolation at Oak Creek and Mike Riggan, the superintendent of Oak Creek…[See all blog posts on Oak Creek HERE]
K.X, age 19, at Oak Creek. Image by Richard Ross for Juvenile-in-Justice.
“We do have good staff here. K.X, the girl in isolation, unfortunately, chose to assault another youth and refused to stop when staff intervened. Staff was hit by her as a consequence of her refusing to stop. O.Y.A (Oregon Youth Authority) has a Matrix that was put into place a few years ago. Any decision to place a youth in isolation is in accordance with the policy and plan. This young woman, who has a history of assault and has been at Oak Creek before, can be very intimidating to other youth and is a bona fide gang member. I think this dynamic is something Casey misses, that fact that these kid’s (gang affected) loyalty is to their gang and family ties are subordinated to their gang identification. They will often put in work, usually in the form of assaults and managing it is a chore. I think what also gets lost is there is a victim(s) in these assaults and separating the youth until the dust settles and giving everyone a break is the safest bet.”
[See more blog posts from Oak Creek HERE]
Katy McCarthy
Katy McCarthy is the blog and media director at www.juvenile-in-justice.com, where she has learned and worked for four years. She has a Bachelors degree from University of California, Santa Barbara but exists in a state of perpetual re-education, devouring reports from the Justice Policy Institute, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Crime Report, the Campaign for Youth Justice and many others dedicated in the fight for system reform. On the weekends she is a sculptor and performance artist.
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amananderson says: wow, sad
Once the system takes in one of these youth it doesn’t seem to really have any initiative to release them.
juvenileinjustice says: That does seem to be the way the system works in so many cases. However, on a more positive note, in a report released last week by the Justice Policy Institute 5 states are instituting reforms in which “Removing young people who engage in delinquent behavior from their homes and communities and incarcerating them is no longer the status quo.”
Check them out here: http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/4950
Best,
Katy McCarthy
Blog Director
blogdirector@Juvenile-in-justice.com
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