Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 291 - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Division 205 - VICTIM SERVICES PROGRAM
Section 291-205-0210 - Participation of Inmate in Responsibility Letter Bank Program

(1) An inmate who wishes to participate in the Responsibility Letter Bank Program must do so by submitting an inmate communication form or other written request to the Victim Services Program or by requesting to do so through their institution counselor or Chaplain.

(2) To participate, inmates must acknowledge guilt, take responsibility for the crime and be willing to express those sentiments in their responsibility letter.

(3) Sentence, Reward, or Status Gain from Participation:

(4) Eligibility to participate in the Responsibility Letter Bank program is at the discretion of the program and may be denied due to, but not limited to:

(5) When the Victim Services Program has determined that an inmate may participate in the Responsibility Letter Bank program, it will send the inmate a letter of acceptance, letter writing guidelines and an explanation of the process.

(6) Inmate responsibility letters shall be initially screened by the Victim Services Program Coordinator or designee and at least one Victim Services Advisory Committee member to determine appropriateness. If the letter is determined to be unacceptable, the inmate may be provided with feedback explaining why or offering suggestions about how to write an acceptable letter. Letters shall be no more than 10 pages unless the program coordinator makes an exception.

(7) A Letter may be deemed unacceptable if, but not limited to:

(8) Unacceptable letters will be returned to the inmate.

(9) The inmate may receive an explanation about why the letter was unacceptable and how to write an acceptable letter

(10) An inmate may withdraw their letter at any time before it has been sent to the crime victim or survivor. Upon request to withdraw, Victim Services shall return the letter to the inmate.

(11) If an inmate wishes to write a new letter after they have withdrawn a letter, the inmate must re-apply to the Responsibility Letter Bank Program.

(12) After a letter has been received and screened by Victim Services Programs, the responsibility letter shall be placed in a locked cabinet until the crime victim or survivor requests the letter.