Oregon Youth Authority Adopts Performance-Based Standards

By Angela Kellner | March 16, 2010 12:07 a.m. | Eugene, OR

All eleven of Oregon's juvenile corrections facilities are now using performance-based standards. The national initiative is aimed at promoting safety and positive outcomes for incarcerated youth. The Oregon Youth Authority has custody of about 900 offenders, ages 12 through 24. They live in correctional or transitional facilities in nine Oregon cities including Albany and Florence. The OYA also supervises approximately 1,100 youth on parole or probation. The OYA is now using a national database to collect and track information about offenders and their outcomes.Spokeswoman Ann Snyder said they look at 113 areas. “And those include every aspect of a youth offender's life in a facility: safety, security, health care, treatment that they receive for their various issues, the education, the vocational-education opportunities," she said.They also do exit interviews when youth leave the facility to get insight into their experiences. Snyder said using the performance-based system will help the Oregon Youth Authority analyze how taxpayer money is being spent and if it is being used effectively.

© 2010 KLCC

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