OR DOC – Columbia River Correctional Institution (CRCI)

OR DOC – Columbia River Correctional Institution (CRCI) basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 503-280-6646

This facility is for adult inmates.

The inmates housed at Columbia River Correctional located at 9111 NE Sunderland Ave in Portland, OR are placed according to their custody level (determined by a number of factors including the past criminal history and the length of their sentence). There are ample educational and vocational training programs for all inmates, especially ones that show a willingness to learn new things that will prepare them for a better life when they are released. The mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never come back and thus lower the state's recidivism rate.

CRCI is a 595-bed minimum-security state prison which was constructed on a 26-acre site in Northeast Portland. Located in the largest metropolitan area of the state, this facility is focused on alcohol and drug treatment, work programs, and preparing inmates for return to the community. this prison offers several work programs which give the inmate's responsibility and helps prepare them financially for release. Inmates can work on crews that provide labor for various State and County agencies including parks and recreation, fish and wildlife, the department of transportation etc. Inmates who are receiving alcohol and substance abuse treatment are housed in a 50-bed dormitory. The Institution provides basic on-site medical, dental and mental health services to all inmates. Dental treatment is provided three days each week, medical care by a physician is available two days each week, and a nurse practitioner is available five days a week. Emergency medical treatment is provided at local hospitals. Inmates at here can take parenting courses, earn a GED, receive treatment for mental illness, participate in religious services, can take computer courses, and receive pre-release education.

The facility provides a full range of correctional services and programs which directly support the Department of Corrections primary mission. These include:

(1) A 50-bed residential Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program (Turning Point), operating under a contract with a private provider.

(2) A 61-bed residential AIP Cognitive Restructuring Program (Westcare), operating under a contract with a private provider.

(3) Basic adult education, life skills and job readiness training through work crews and cottage industries.

(4) The institution employs 120 FTE general funded staff and approximately 50 staff provided under contracted services. CRCI has strong "community oriented" programming for inmates and utilizes a large number of community volunteers in its programs.

(5) Inmates residing at Columbia River Correctional Institution are required and expected to work. To that end, work crews are formed and subsequently employed by many public agencies, organizations and private businesses throughout the greater Tri-County area.

CRCI operates South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC), a 200-bed unfenced minimum-security correctional work camp for male inmates near Tillamook, Oregon, which is managed jointly with the Oregon Department of Forestry. CRCI screens inmates prior to assignment to SFFC. Inmates assigned to the SFFC provide labor for forest management, firefighting, and parks maintenance.

The building was constructed to be cost-effective, durable and low maintenance. The metal roofing and siding materials are long-lasting and low maintenance. The flat roofs are constructed with single-ply roofing and rock ballast. The exterior wall material provides insulation for the building and a durable, low maintenance surface. The concrete wainscot provides a strong surface at ground level.

The interior was designed to be open for maximum visibility throughout the main corridor and from within the control center. Natural lighting was used to reduce the need for artificial lighting. The finish materials on the inside were chosen, once again, for their durability, low maintenance, and cost-effectiveness. The dormitories consist of exposed tilt-up concrete walls and concrete masonry walls. The floors are covered with vinyl tile, except for the bathrooms, which have ceramic tile. Again, only durable, long-lasting materials were used.

visitation Info

OR DOC – Columbia River Correctional Institution – Visitation

VISITING HOURS DAY AFTERNOON EVENING

• Mondays & Fridays NO VISITING 6:30 PM -to- 9:00 PM
• Saturdays & Sundays 1:50 PM -to- 3:50 PM 6:30 PM -to- 9:00 PM
• Basic Visits (Sat & Sun) 1:50 PM -to- 3:50 PM 6:30 PM -to- 8:30 PM
• Basic Visits (Mon & Fri) Not available 6:30 PM -to- 8:30 PM
• Holidays 1:50 PM -to- 3:50 PM 6:30 PM -to- 8:30 PM
• Thursday* Not available 6:30 PM -to- 9:00 PM ​*Thursday night visiting is considered our family/incentive night. This visiting session is for those inmates that are either incentive level 3 or inmates whose visit will include a minor.

You must arrive at least one-half hour before visiting ends or you will not be permitted to visit.

Identification (ID)

• For visitors ages 15 and up a driver’s license, passport, state ID card, military ID card, school ID card or other official government ID card
• Appropriate clothing 
  • DO NOT WEAR BLUE DENIM OR BLUE CLOTHING OF ANY KIND. This is for security purposes since inmates themselves wear blue and blue denim clothing.
  • Dress conservatively. Dresses, skirts, jumpers, culottes, and shorts are permitted if they are worn at knee level or lower when standing. Footwear and undergarments MUST BE WORN.
  • Inappropriate clothing includes suggestive, revealing, low-cut or skimpy clothing. Hats, wrap-around skirts, halter tops, sheer or see-through clothing are not allowed. Other types of provocative clothing; camoflage of any kind; and clothing, hairstyles, insignias or other paraphernalia associated with security threat groups or that are inflammatory in nature are also not allowed. 
  • TIP: Leave an extra set of clothes in your car if you are not sure that your clothing meets the requirements.
• Quarters
  • You may need to store items in a visiting locker, which requires a quarter to work.
  • You may also wish to bring quarters for use at the vending machine in the visiting room (no more than $15 in quarters is allowed).
• Metal Detector Medical Exception Form 
  • If you have a medical condition that makes it unsafe for you to walk through a metal detector, talk to your doctor about documentation and have them complete the Metal Detector Medical Exception Form linked above.

What to Leave at Home or in a Facility Locker

• Non-emergency medications, prescribed or non-prescribed, are not allowed in the visiting room. 
• Smoking of any kind is not allowed within a correctional institution or on State of Oregon property, so please leave any tobacco products, vapes, etc. behind. 
• Cash or other negotiable instruments other than $15 in quarters. You cannot bring checkbooks, credit and/or debit cards into the visiting area. 
• Cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices are also not allowed in the visiting area.
• Weapons of any kind should not be brought into a facility.
• Metal buttons, body piercings, jewelry, underwire bras, and some shoes may activate the metal detector. Avoid wearing metal as much as possible or be prepared to remove certain items in order to pass through the metal detector successfully. Remember that undergarments MUST BE WORN at all times.
• Outer garments such as raincoats, ski jackets, and other garments that are lined are not allowed inside the visiting room.
• Hats of any kind are not allowed to be worn inside the facility.