The Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority are failing to meet the basic needs of people in custody with limited English proficiency, leading to isolation and gaps in medical care, a new state audit found.
The Oregon Secretary of State audit of both corrections systems was released Wednesday and zeroes in on how the agencies respond to people in state custody whose primary language is not English or who use sign language.
Auditors noted the implications for the communications breakdown, writing that it can lead to “disparate outcomes in health, safety, and civil rights.” Language access, the audit says, is “a fundamental component of delivering fair and accessible public services.”
The Youth Authority has nearly 800 youths and young adults on its caseload. That covers a mix of people who are in juvenile prisons and those on parole or probation. An estimated 12,000 people are in the state’s adult prison system. Data on the percentages of both populations that are not English proficient was not immediately available Wednesday.
“People in state custody with limited English proficiency should not receive worse care simply because they can’t communicate as well with the people responsible for their health and safety,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “If Oregonians are able to get the treatments and rehabilitation they need in custody, we all benefit when they return to their communities.”
The audit called out both agencies for failing to collect data on whether they are complying with state law. For instance, auditors found that neither agency reports compliance with state requirements related to the use of medical interpreters. The Department of Corrections documents such instances in handwritten logs, making it difficult for the agency to review and analyze. The Youth Authority, meanwhile, tracks requests for interpreters but not how often they are used.
“As a result, neither agency can provide a complete picture of how often interpreters are used, whether those interpreters are bilingual staff or contractors, and whether they are certified when used in healthcare settings,” the audit noted. “They also cannot provide documentation for compliance with requirements.”
Among auditors’ recommendations:
Improve systems for identifying language needs from the day people enter custody. Auditors recommended both agencies install prominent signs that encourage people in custody to communicate their language needs and spell out the state’s language resources.
Train healthcare employees and counselors to ensure they can address the needs of people in custody who are not proficient in English. Auditors recommended the agencies document language needs and the use of interpreters when providing healthcare.
Designate employees to monitor whether prisoners’ language needs are being met.
Train staff and supervisors who work directly with people with limited English proficiency to identify communication needs and provide services such as document translation and interpreters.
The directors of both agencies agreed with the Secretary of State’s recommendations and said their staff had begun to implement them.
In a letter to the audits division, Corrections Director Michael Reese said that while people with limited English proficiency make up a small percentage of prison population, “their ability to complete assessments, understand processes, and participate in programs are no less important.”
Reese said the agency had already begun to add the suggested signs and expand staff training “to ensure language needs are consistently identified, documented, and addressed across the agency.”
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