OAR 291-127-0400: Authority, Purpose and Policy

(1) The authority for these rules is granted to the Director of the Department of Corrections in accordance with ORS 179.040, 423.020, 423.030, and 423.075. (2) The purpose of these rules is to establish department policy and procedures regarding adult in custody visitation, and the administration of visitation programming in the Department of Corrections facilities. (3) Policy: (a) Visiting is an integral component of facility management, adult in custody habilitation, and community safety. Visiting can improve public safety, encourage responsible familial relationships, and reduce the risk of future criminal behavior. (b) Within the inherent limitations of resources and the need for facility security, safety, health, and good order, it is the policy of the Department of Corrections to permit, promote, facilitate, and encourage approved visitation of adults in custody with their families, friends, and others in the Department of Corrections facilities in accordance with these rules. (c) When authorized, visitation in a Department of Corrections facility is permitted neither as a matter of right nor as a privilege of the adult in custody or the adult in custody’s visitor; rather, visitation in Department of Corrections facilities is permitted by the department when it furthers the adult in custody’s correctional planning and the department’s correctional goals and mission and is consistent with the safe, secure and orderly management and operation of the facility. (d) The department encourages productive relationships between families and adults in custody and sees adult in custody visitation as a positive means to strengthen ties and increase the likelihood of success upon release. (e) The department intends that its rule prescribing eligibility criteria for prospective visitors set forth in OAR 291-127-0415(2)(i) apply retroactively to all persons who have submitted or will submit a visiting application prior to, on, and after the effective date of the rule.