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Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division

Department of Corrections & Oregon Youth Authority: Youth & Adults in Close-Custody Correctional Facilities Need Better Language Supports

Objective

To determine the extent to which the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) identify, communicate, and address language needs during intake to prepare people in close-custody correctional facilities to participate in programs and services.

Scope

This audit focuses on the roughly 30-day intake process that takes place at close-custody correctional facilities run by DOC and OYA. The audit scope includes requirements and guidelines for both spoken and signed languages, and examines each agency’s data collection, communications, and training from 2023 to 2025, and policies, procedures, practices, and contracts current as of 2025. The audit scope does not include analysis of language accessibility needs for processes that occur prior to or after intake at a DOC or OYA facility. It also does not include a review of language access barriers experienced by those in custody who speak English as a primary language.

July 2026
Report 2026-20

Download the full report

 View the agency response

View the press release


Why this audit is important

People with limited English proficiency (LEP), including people who communicate in signed languages, face communication barriers that, when unaddressed, can lead to disparate outcomes in health, safety, and civil rights. DOC and OYA are responsible for thousands of people and have state and federal requirements to address language barriers. These agencies provide oversight and treatments ranging from education, programming, and medical and mental health care with the goals of rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. Public agencies depend on clear, well-documented policies, procedures, and plans to carry out their missions effectively and equitably. This is especially true for language access, which is not simply a compliance requirement but a fundamental component of delivering fair and accessible public services. Ultimately, these agencies can’t meet their missions of increasing public safety and reducing recidivism, comply with legal requirements, or maintain the safety of people in custody and staff without effectively addressing language barriers.

What we found

DOC and OYA should improve early identification of language needs. (pg. 03)

Formal identification of language needs should occur on the first day of intake. DOC and OYA have not made identifying language needs a consistent practice. Both agencies need to clarify how staff should communicate with each other about the language needs of those in custody.

DOC and OYA should ensure they meet healthcare-specific requirements. (pg. 06)

DOC and OYA risk providing a lower quality of healthcare for people with LEP. Both agencies lack reliable data to know whether they are meeting language access requirements and needs.

DOC and OYA need to build language accessibility into existing structures and operations. (pg. 08)

DOC and OYA should designate coordinators that support monitoring and compliance for the full range of spoken and signed language needs. Both agencies need a framework to determine which documents to translate into which languages.

What we recommend

To ensure language needs are identified early in the intake process, DOC and OYA should:

  1. Place visible signage in key locations to support early identification, such as "I Speak" signage and notice of available language services.

    2. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: September 1, 2026

  2. Document how and when staff should communicate the language needs of people in custody, including key points of contact and processes to inform staff outside of multidisciplinary teams.

    Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: October 31, 2026

To ensure appropriate language supports are provided in healthcare settings, DOC and OYA should:

  1. Train healthcare employees, including Qualified Mental Health Providers, to ensure they comply with language access requirements.

    2. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: December 31, 2026

  2. Ensure electronic systems capture information about language needs and interpreter usage in healthcare settings. This should include mandatory fields that capture the type of language assistance provided (oral or written) during each encounter, if any, including the use of certified medical interpreters or alternatives in compliance with ORS 413.559 and OAR 950-050-0160.

    Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: January 31, 2027

To embed language accessibility into existing structures and operations, DOC and OYA should:

  1. Document, regularly update, and periodically review policies that include: 
    1. How staff should identify the language supports needed for an individual with LEP.
    2. Coordinating, requesting, and providing interpretation and translated materials.
    3. How to identify vital documents for translation in compliance with legal requirements, including rules of conduct and healthcare communications for people in custody who read languages other than English or Spanish.
    4. Compliance with state requirements related to the use of interpreters in healthcare settings.
    5. Standards to help control costs and quality when working with contractors and staff who produce translated documents or provide interpretation.

    Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: October 31, 2026

  2. Designate staff to monitor whether language needs are identified and met for each person in custody, and their family when required, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who speak some English but may need an interpreter in more technical or complex settings.

    3. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: August 31, 2026

  3. Train staff and managers who work directly with people with LEP how to identify language needs, access and provide the necessary language assistance services, work with interpreters, request document translations, and track the use of language assistance services.

    4. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: December 31, 2026

  4. Ensure information is captured about language needs and interpreter usage for people in custody, and their family when required, in a way that allows staff to find the information, including mandatory fields for LEP status, languages spoken or signed, and the preferred language for written communication.

    5. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: December 31, 2026

To improve language accessibility agency-wide, DOC and OYA management should:

  1. Use data about current and changing language access needs, resource allocation, and compliance with relevant requirements to make system-wide improvements.

    2. Agency response: Agree
    Target completion date: October 31, 2026

Agency Response

Both DOC and OYA agreed with all of our recommendations. The responses can be found at the end of the report.