I am an Adult in Custody in Oregon. In my previous letter, written after one month in the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville, I set out to call attention to gender bias in the State of Oregon Judicial System. Now, after an additional month, I am calling further attention to the prejudice against women by comparing my case to others I have met at CCCF.
Nikki Cantu, who is currently having her baby in prison, was sentenced for exercising her right to remain silent. She witnessed a crime and felt she would be in danger, along with her unborn child, if she testified. In my case, I was repeatedly punished and threatened while in lengthy (almost 2 years) pretrial confinement at Washington County Jail for exercising my right to remain silent. The fact that the State would not protect Nikki and her unborn child is bad enough, but they also punished her by sending her to prison while pregnant and having her give birth in prison. My heart goes out to her.
Danyelle Lore had no previous driving without a license charges and her husband had three or four. She was sentenced to fourteen months in prison, while he received only eleven months. In my case, I had no criminal history and was given a life sentence while male suspects in my case were not even questioned or detained. One of them had an extensive criminal history and is a known gang member. He even talked about crimes on the phone with me while I have been incarcerated and kept several guns in his home.
Rose Provost was coerced out of $1000 worth of personal property while in jail; my public defender coerced my out of my vehicle. The police never had a warrant to seize my vehicle, but they took it anyway. My defense attorney objected the warrantless action of the police before trial but the judge in my case sided with the prosecution. I have elderly parents with terminal illnesses that need a vehicle right now, but the vehicle is gone. I have also been trying to support my parents financially since I have been incarcerated (2 years now), mostly at Washington County Jail. But the Jail officials, who kept it very cold there, kept taking sweaters from me that I had to keep replacing at the commissary at inflated prices. I also lost a lot of weight while there.
Karen Nichols was given a maximum sentence for a crime that was unintentional, while I was given a life sentence for second degree murder even though I was not even shown to be at the scene of the crime. I was also convicted of unlawful use of a firearm even though I never had a firearm and none was produced at my trial and they did not even check the homes of other potential male suspects.
I am concerned about how little, if any, consideration is given in Oregon to self defense in cases involving women. I have heard from several women who received maximum sentences after enduring years of physical and mental abuse from men. In my case, some members of my own family believed my abuser over me when he slandered me to family members, friends, and the District Attorney. The judge at trial then allowed the DA to slander me in front of the jury with no proof. They all believed hearsay and accusations of an ex-boyfriend who I had not seen or talked to for approximately five years before I was arrested. They all believed him over me, even though he had at one time made an attempt on my life.
All of the women I have mentioned above and I have family that need us right now and these false charges are causing our families to suffer as well. Women are normally caretakers of family. Oregon laws need to change and discrimination against women needs to stop.
I’m especially very concerned about the elderly adults in custody. First of all, they need more medical care and the facility just is not equipped to handle that, especially with COVID still going on. When they are sent out of the facility for a much needed procedure they are placed in isolation afterwards, which requires a lot of extra effort for them to move, especially if they have been here awhile and have accumulated a lot of things. It is also very traumatic for them to be separated from their friends and often they are not brought back to their previous unit after being isolated. The isolation feels more like punishment to them at this point.
The CCCF says we are not allowed to mix units, which restricts our work hours and most of us really need the very little money we make from working here. Then they move random people into and out of our unit to and from other units, which contradicts the safety precautions we are supposed to be taking. Also, we are not given the medical grade masks the governor said are essential, which might explain why we have so many COVID cases here. There is also discrimination against people who are not vaccinated. One lady was forced to stay at her job in the clinic, putting her at even more risk for COVID. At CCCF we also have many cases of serious injuries from the bunk beds in our rooms and the stairs in our units. The bunk beds are not even OSHA standard regulation.
But I am most concerned about my elderly parents with terminal illnesses, who depend on me emotionally and physically, while I am serving prison time on false charges. When I was moved from Washington County Jail to CCCF it took over a month for the money in my account to be transferred, which was money I was trying to send to my parents. Now I have been having trouble here to reach them by phone. As a result I do not know if they are able to cover their mortgage and may have been evicted from their home or may be in the hospital.
Just because we women are currently in prison does not mean that we are second class citizens who do not have responsibilities to ourselves and to our families. We should not have these rights taken away from us. We are still human beings with needs just like everyone else, and our families suffer right along with us.
An Adult in Custody at
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
Wilsonville, Oregon