Transfers & Finding Someone in Oregon (ODOC)

State prison or county jail

Where a sentence is served comes down to its length. Under Oregon law (ORS 137.124), a felony term of more than 12 months is served in an ODOC state prison; a term of 12 months or less, and almost all detention before trial, is served in a county jail run by the sheriff. Some serious and violent crimes carry mandatory minimum prison terms under Measure 11, which are always state-prison sentences. So if a person’s case is pre-trial or the sentence is short, look to the county jail, which sets its own visiting, mail, and phone rules.

Intake: where it begins

Almost everyone sentenced to ODOC enters through the Coffee Creek Intake Center in Wilsonville — both men and women — for about 30 days of medical, mental-health, and custody screening that assigns a custody level (a small number enter through an alternate process when safety or security requires it). Personal visits are not allowed while a person is in intake; contact is by phone and mail until it is complete. After intake, men transfer to their assigned men’s prison, and women remain at Coffee Creek.

Finding someone

Use the Oregon Offender Search to look someone up by name or by SID number (the State Identification number Oregon assigns each person). It shows where the person is held and a projected release date. The data is not real-time, so confirm with the facility before relying on it. If a person does not appear at all, they are most likely in a county jail — awaiting trial or serving a short sentence — so contact that county.

Staying notified

Oregon’s free notification system is VISOR (the Victim Information System in Oregon), which replaced VINE. Registering at visor.oregon.gov sends alerts on events such as a transfer, release, or escape.

Transfers between prisons

A person can be moved between prisons for reasons such as custody level, program placement, medical needs, or capacity. ODOC does not always announce a move in advance, so if mail starts coming back or a scheduled visit is affected, re-check the Oregon Offender Search to confirm the current location.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Know Your Rights.