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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Jan. 23, 2016 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Why we love bombing ... City plans for potential flooding ... Ashland Calendar, Jan. 23, 2016 ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Why we love bombing ... City plans for potential flooding ... OTHER VIEWS Other Views: A prison improvement Comment By The (Bend) Bulletin DailyTidings.com By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Those who run prisons, including prisons in Oregon, face the difficult task of balancing inmate and staff safety against the mental health of some inmates. The situation is about to improve a bit in Oregon. The Department of Corrections has reached an agreement with Disability Rights Oregon, a federally funded advocacy group, to improve conditions for the system's most severely mentally ill prisoners who are housed in its Behavioral Health Unit in Salem. The cost of the improvements is expected to be $8.2 million annually, money that will have to come from the Legislature. Among the changes, prisoners will be given at least 20 hours per week outside their cells, half of which must be spent in structured activities, including treatment by mental health care providers. Too, corrections officials will seek to expand the physical size of the unit to create more space, making it easier to manage dangerous but ill prisoners. While the changes fall far short of what the advocacy group sought from the Legislature last year, they're a much-needed improvement that should help prevent mentally ill prisoners from deteriorating in isolation. Guarding prisoners, especially those who are particularly dangerous, is not simple. That's one good reason for the additional training. Guards and other staff will be given more information about such things as the side effects of medications as well as more training in crisis intervention. The changes proposed should be good ones to improve the conditions for some of the state's most challenging prisoners. By The (Bend) Bulletin DailyTidings.com By The (Bend) Bulletin Posted Jan. 23, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501