Mothballed Madras Prison May Finally Open

Hundreds of new jobs could be up for grabs as the state Department of Corrections has plans to finally begin use of a long-mothballed medium-security prison in Madras.

Right now, only the minimum-security prison at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution is in use while the medium-security facility has remained empty since it was built in 2008.

The state DOC was able to handle the current inmate population with existing facilities, but the latest population forecasts show this may change in the next year. With an uptick in the inmate population and more available funding, the medium-security prison could be in operation as soon as the summer of next year.

“If the population forecast is still up but the state budget is not going to support the facility, then we’d have to utilize other population management strategies,” said Marissa Wilson, public information officer for the prison.

That means they could open up the medium-security prison, which can house 1,200 twice the number the minimum-security prison holds. More staff would then be needed to run the facility.

Prison officials say they would cast a wide net to seek prospective employees.

“We’re hoping to look from the local area when we start the hiring phase,” said Wilson.

“We’ll be looking a lot at correctional positions, so anyone looking into the law enforcement field, health services — and there would be some administration jobs as well,” Wilson added.

How many people would be hired is dependent on the inmate population forecasts. The next one is this April.

Officials say no matter what, it appears that the medium-security prison soon will be open for business.

The Department of Corrections plans to open the medium-security prison in phases. They estimate about 204 available jobs in various departments when it’s fully open.

DOC website: www.oregon.gov/doc.